The North Division of the Long Beach Police Department wants to remind residents about the facts regarding recent residential burglaries:
Most occurred on a weekday. Most occurred between the hours of 7am and 5pm. Nearly half of the people arrested for residential burglary have been juveniles. Burglars often work in teams of two or three, using one as a lookout. Many burglars go into the back yard and enter the house by prying or breaking a rear window or door. Most burglars do not want to encounter a resident while engaging in their crime.
Frequently, burglars will knock on a potential victim’s door to determine whether anyone is home. They tend to be quite persistent in their knocking; then, if no one answers, they move to the backyard area to break in. If someone does answer, they will act like they are trying to find their friend’s house and move on to a different house or area.
Prevention tips
• Lock your doors and windows.
• Walk the perimeter of your house, viewing it as a burglar would. Are valuable items such as flat-screen TVs, computers, etc. visible from outside? Would untrimmed hedges provide cover for someone removing your window screen? Do you have motion sensor lights?
• Consider getting a dog.
• Know your children’s friends, and screen cleaning crews appropriately.
• Video or photograph valuables, especially jewelry, and record the serial numbers. Store videos and photographs separately— not on your computer or camera, as these items will likely be taken during a residential burglary.
• Familiarize yourself with the people and cars in your neighborhood. If someone seems suspicious, call the police. Most residential burglary arrests are a result of a witness reporting suspicious activity to the police. Examples of suspicious activity range from the extreme (seeing an unfamiliar person carrying items out of your neighbor’s home) to the more mundane (an unfamiliar car circling the block).
Use your cell phone to take a picture of the suspicious person or vehicle, including the license plate, if is safe to do so.
If you are a victim of a residential burglary
• Call the police to report it.
• Do not touch anything. The police department forensic specialists will likely respond and attempt to gather fingerprints— many burglars are arrested based on fingerprint results.
• Provide police with a complete listing of missing items, including serial numbers. Without serial numbers, the likelihood of having your stolen items returned to you is slim. If the burglar tries to pawn your property, serial numbers will be helpful.
You can also watch an informative video on how to protect your home at
today.com/home/how-protect-your-home-burglaries-thieves-tell-all-t108794.
