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Crime Doctor

Making Places Safe

Home Security Christmas – Are Burglars Working this Holiday Season?

January 30, 2023 Chris McGoey

Home Security Christmas and other holidays are a special time when families and friends come together to celebrate the season. It is also the time of year when families and friends are most generous and practice the tradition of gift-giving. It should be a joyous and happy time for all of us.

Unfortunately for us, home burglars view the holiday season a little differently. For them, it is a time of opportunity to burglarize your home for cash, credit cards, and all the new gifts of small electronics, computers, jewelry, and easily sold valuables.

Home Security Christmas

Here are a few tips on what they look for when shopping for a house to burglarize. These tips will help you enjoy the holidays without incident.

  • Burglars look for easy entry with good escape routes. Don’t openly display your Christmas tree and gifts in the front window so it’s easily visible from the street. It’s too tempting for them to smash the window and grab the wrapped packages.
  • Burglars look for occupancy cues like outdoor lights burning 24 hours a day, piled up newspapers, or advertising flyers hanging on the doorknob. Use an inexpensive light timer when you are away and ask a neighbor to keep the front of your home clean of papers and debris.
  • Burglars know to look for the hidden door key near the front entrance. Don’t hide spare keys under rocks, in flowerpots, or above door ledges. Instead, give the spare key to a trusted neighbor.
  • Burglars prefer to enter through unlocked doors or windows. Sliding windows that are not secure can be seen from distance. One holiday problem can occur when exterior Christmas light extension cords are run inside through a window and prevent it from being secured. Hire an electrician or handyman to install an inexpensive exterior outlet for your holiday lights.
  • Don’t post your family name so it’s visible in your mailbox or on your house. A burglar can call directory assistance to get your telephone number and call your home while in front of your house to confirm that you are away.
  • Don’t leave descriptive telephone answering machine messages like, “Hello, you’ve reached the Wilsons. We’re away skiing for the Christmas holidays. We’ll return on January 1st, please leave a message.” Burglars love to hear that they have plenty of time to break in and completely ransack your home.
  • After Christmas day, don’t pile up empty gift boxes from your new computer, DVD player, or stereo receiver on the street for the garbage man. Burglars appreciate knowing that you have expensive gifts inside for them to steal. Break them down or cut them up to conceal the items better. After a lucrative burglary, the chances of being burglarized again are increased to steal the new replacement products.
  • Last, but not least, fortify your home by installing solid core doors, heavy-duty locks, longer screws in the lock strike plates and door hinges, and install secondary security devices on all accessible sliding windows. See my webpage on burglary prevention at home security.

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    Premises Security Expert; Premises Liability Security Expert; Service area: Eastern and southern USA, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida. After 39 years of serving California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington.

    Tagged With: home security, security plan

    About Chris McGoey

    My biography spans 53 years of studying, evaluating, and developing security plans worldwide. I'm a habitual skeptic, a chronic people watcher, a golf fanatic, and a relentless traveler.
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    Podcast Reviews

    • Great information and insight
      June 13, 2018 by djpoland from United States

      I have been listening to this podcast now for several months. It is one of the best sources of information concerning crime, security, and ways of making your home and business safe. Keep up the good work. Thank you for all you do to help so many people. DJ in Scottsburg, IN

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      This is a very valuable service and I appreciate this high level of expertise to keep me knowledgeable, safe and sound. Everyone should subscribe and stay well-informed. Thanks Chris!

    • 10 reasons why burglars might choose your home
      July 28, 2017 by binwoodside from United States

      I am not one of those people who believes there is a bad guy behind every bush but Chris offers good advice that can be very useful to all of us. His tips can prevent us experiencing a home robbery due to our own carelessness. It amazes me that people use social media to advertise their absence from their homes. There are plenty of other points of carelessness Chris describes that also advertises to burglars. His voice is easy to understand and listen.

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      October 22, 2015 by taylor826 from United States

      He pretty much covers the gamut of high-risk scenario from personal safety to commercial property security. He provides insights to how criminals could perceive potential victims as vulnerable. I don't own commercial property or a business, but the security best practices he outlines which mitigate potential crimes in multiple industries, also increases my awareness to avoid such businesses/locations that don't implement those policies. You don't want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    • Excellent content
      July 1, 2015 by Ken Burgin from Australia

      Chris has been the ‘crime doctor’ for many businesses over the years - not much he hasn’t seen and fixed! Great to have his expertise coming to us directly through his podcast interviews. Highly recommended!

    • Crime School Radio is a Winner!
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      As a security expert, Chris McGoey was and continues to be a trailblazer. First, his informative website and book. Now this convenient, cutting-edge and educational podcast. Chris has an uncanny knack for knowing just what the world needs. With this show, he delivers vital information on safety and security in plain language that everyone can benefit from.

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      Chris is an industry expert with real world experience. It is also refreshing to hear a security podcast with crystal clear audio and presented in a professional way.

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      I have seen Chris McGoey several times as a security expert on TV so I was curious to hear his Crime School podcast. As expected the podcast provides valuable information for keeping us safe and useful ideas for everyday life. I plan to listen to every episode. Keep 'em coming Chris.

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      Outstanding! Very thorough. I would like to see police departments link to this audio as part of their crime prevention education of their citizens.

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    Chris E. McGoey CPP, CSP, ICPS, CAM
    McGoey Security Consulting
    Jonesborough, Tennessee
    951-461-8950
    Chris@CrimeDoctor.com

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