Home Alone? It's not like the movies...
It can be confidently said that most people in the western world have watched, if not at least heard of the popular film Home Alone. For those who have been living under a rock since 1990, it tells the story of a young boy (who is now leading a Pizza themed music group…) who fends off two inept burglars while his parents are away. The result: hilarious consequences at the expense of a Tweedledum & Dee of the Burglary world...wrapped up with a heart warming mother-son reunion that brings a tear to my eye each time I watch this Xmas blockbuster!
Unfortunately, those who have been exposed to the acting of Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci, amidst other examples of bad burglars, seem to have taken these poor portrayals to heart. For in fact, the burglars you encounter are far more likely to gain access and steal valuables from your home using effective techniques and tools, which will not lead them to having a paint can swing at their face.
On November 18th 2013, several homes in Wandsworth, London were tagged with almost transparent stickers, stating ‘24/7 Locksmith, Repair Installation Locked Out, 0203 582 8175’. From the outside, this looked like a simple advertisement and indeed from the inside of your home, you'd be forgiven for failing to see it. However, from the eye of a passing burglar, this property was an ‘easy target’. Police officers later uncovered that scouts on behalf of burglar teams carried out reports and labelled the properties which shown signs of vulnerability and ‘ease of break-in’.
The result? A least one burglary had been directly linked with the stickers, which further led to the pursuit of further lines of inquiry and strong advice to remove the stickers wherever they were found within the local area.
So next time you watch Home Alone, don’t take the slapstick behaviour of the disastrous duo as a true representative of the wits of your local burglars. Have your home entrances secure and your locks upgraded to avoid a sticker being placed on your front door!
