Halloween is an incredibly exciting time - trick or treaters are free to run riot, and neighbours can deck out their properties with ghoulish decorations to their heart's content. The only issue is, Halloween opens up a lot more opportunity for thieves and criminals to commit burglaries and thefts due to the raucous social nature of the holiday.
This leaves anxious homeowners with one question: should you invest in extra home security to reduce the risk of Halloween crime?
Does Crime Increase Over Halloween?
Some youths have taken to re-naming the holiday to 'Mischief Night' - a night where all rules are made to be broken. This can lead to anti-social behaviour and increases the risk of crime in the area. In 2019, a 'gang of children' caused £20,000 worth of damage to a property development in Merseyside.
Business properties and construction sites are often targeted due to a lack of personnel and expensive equipment, but this doesn't mean that personal properties are let off lightly, either.
David Walsh, Board Director of monitoring company, Netwatch, stated:
"Everything not nailed down is seen as fair game. Warehouse, construction sites, yards and unoccupied premises are particularly vulnerable."
Despite this, Halloween crime in the UK is no where near as bad as in the USA. Across the pond, Halloween is seen as a major holiday where more than 70% of citizens participate - spending up to $9.1bn on candy and costumes!
Due to this, property crime is the most common offence committed on Halloween, with 60% of property crimes involving theft.
What Crimes are Committed Over Halloween?
To teenagers and young adults, Halloween can be seen as a great excuse to have a few drinks, resulting in a few members of the public getting a bit too merry. Due to this, property crime, underage drinking and disorderly conduct are common on Halloween, alongside vandalism, car theft and burglary charges.
How to Protect Yourself From Halloween Crime
On Halloween, it's very likely that your home will gain more attention than usual due to budding trick-or-treaters looking for their next sweet stop.
Leave your lights on!
Potential burglars are likely to be put off if they believe someone is home, as this increases the risk of being caught. As shown in the evidence above, Halloween crimes are usually committed on abandoned properties, or properties that appear vacant.
Use monitored home security solutions
Enjoy your night without worrying about your property. With monitored home security, you'll be able to join in with the Halloween festivities without feeling like you have to guard your property all night. Our CCTV and surveillance camera footage can help police catch and charge culprits - and we provide a 24/7 call-out service all year round for your peace of mind.
Keep your valuables out of sight
If trick-or-treaters can see your brand new iPhone 14+, then so can burglars! People may check in to see if you're home to knock for treats, so be sure to remove all valuables from sight.
Stay Safe this Halloween with IDS Security
A study of 422 burglars revealed that 60% would avoid a property with a burglar alarm.
Here at IDS Security Systems Ltd, we use the latest digital signalling equipment for all of our security solutions. We also offer a 24-hour monitoring service for maintained customers.
We install and maintain a wide range of security systems, including:
Get in touch today, or click the link below to request a FREE security survey so that one of our experienced engineers can advise you on the best solution for your property.
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