Household burglary accounts for 12% of all recorded crime in Enfield.
The most common kind of burglary in Enfield is through front doors or rear windows. This accounts for about 1 in 5 burglary offences and can be prevented by securing windows and doors.
Top tips
- Do not leave windows and doors open or unlocked when you leave your home unattended
- Ensure you properly lock UPVC doors by turning the key, otherwise the locks are ineffective
- Increase occupancy indicators during the winter when days are shorter (for example, timer lights)
- Keep a record of your property details for items most likely to be targeted (see below for further details)
- Do not leave car keys easily accessible to burglars (for example, by the front door)
- Be sure to secure sheds, outbuildings and garages
Following these simple steps will make Enfield properties less attractive to burglars.
Types of burglary
Front and rear access
The vast majority of burglary offences in Enfield involve gaining access via front doors or rear doors and windows. UPVC doors are a preferred target for burglars, exploiting households which fail to properly secure their UPVC door lock. If the key is not turned then the lock is ineffective. Remember to ‘lift and lock’. Forced front door entries take place during the day and in the early hours of the morning.
Rear door or window entry is most common in areas where properties can be accessed at the rear. Burglars may also use garden tools or ladders that are left unsecured in gardens to aid with access. Rear entry burglaries mostly take place during the day and early evening, particularly during the winter months when there are fewer daylight hours. It is worth considering investment in rear lighting, such as sensor lighting, to deter offenders and increase the likelihood that they are seen.
Insecure
Almost 1 in 5 burglary offences occur due to homeowners leaving doors or windows open or unlocked and insecure. This is most problematic during the spring and summer months when the weather tends to be hotter. Ensure that all doors and windows are secured when the property is empty.
Vehicle off drive burglary
A 'vehicle off drive' burglary is one where an offender gains access to a household to get keys for a motor vehicle, often parked on the driveway. Vehicle off drive burglaries account for up to 1 in 10 burglary offences in Enfield and frequently involve higher value or newer vehicles (see 'targeted items' section for further details).
Artifice or distraction
A very small number of burglaries in Enfield, less than 1 in 10, involve offenders gaining access to a vulnerable person’s property under false pretences, for example, by pretending to be a figure of authority.
Targeted items
Cash is one of the most commonly stolen items taken from burglaries in Enfield, taken during one of every 5 offences. Avoid leaving sums of cash in your home. Alternatively, invest in a safe or another secure storage place. Along with cash, it’s good to secure financial information and other documentation (such as identification) that could be fraudulently used by thieves following a burglary offence.
Concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable and disposable (CRAVED) items account for the vast majority of stolen property from household burglaries.
The most commonly taken CRAVED items stolen during burglary offences in Enfield are jewellery, laptop computers, tablet devices, DVD and audio equipment (such as iPods) and mobile phones.
Where possible, avoid leaving such products on public view, and store them safely and securely. Keep records of purchases (for insurance purposes) and keep a record of your property details (see Immobilise: UK National Property Register). Also consider the use of property marking tools to improve the likelihood of offenders being caught and items being recovered.
Vehicles, particularly newer modern vehicles, are becoming increasingly difficult to steal without having access to keys. In some cases of vehicle off drive burglary, thieves access the property through a front door in order to find the keys. However, thieves are sometimes able to obtain keys without having to access the property, for example, if they are kept close to a front door or in reach via a letterbox.
Avoid becoming a victim of vehicle off drive burglary by keeping keys safely secured and out of sight, particularly overnight. Avoid keeping keys on tables near front or rear doors, or similarly hanging up keys in these same locations.
For more details on home security, see the external links provided at the bottom of the page.
Other information
Almost 1 in 5 burglary offences occur on a Friday. Most offending occurs Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm - when homeowners are likely to be at work. Monthly offending levels can be up to one and a half times higher during the winter months (October to March) when the hours of daylight are reduced.
For crime statistics in your area, visit the Metropolitan Police.