Most Burglars Are Not Trained Lock Pickers
Robbers will employ a multitude of methods to gain entry into your house. The most traditionally thought of method is that of picking a lock. But this requires skill, precision, and time. Many burglars do not have this skill or time, so they will go for the path of least resistance.
Some home break-in practices include:
- Brute Force—The thief will plain out attempt to break down the door. Either by kicking it in or using another item to bust the door down.
- Break the lock—Attempts will be made to pry off the lock with a wrench or pry-bar. The thief may attempt to saw off the lock or knock it off with a hammer.
- Breaking the Glass—Front doors with glass panes may be decorative and pretty, but they leave your locks susceptible to attack. If a robber can simply break the glass and reach in to unlock the dead-bolt and door knob, they will. If you have a door with glass, it is advisable to get a dead-bolt that has a keyed lock on both ends. So even if they can unlock your door knob, the dead-bolt will stay locked.
- The Door was just unlocked—People can be trusting and will not bother to lock their doors. Some people just forget to lock up when they leave the house. In either case, this offers an easy in for a burglar.
- Drilling a Lock—Also falling under breaking the lock is lock drilling. The thief will just drill out the lock cylinder and hope that this will allow them to turn the lock open.
- Spare Keys—Sometime people will keep a spare key somewhere outside of their house. And sometimes they will leave a key with a neighbor, while they go out of town or just for safe keeping. So a thief may have been watching you and saw where you put the key, or they may find it just by chance. You never fully know what your neighbors will do either, or what people they know.