Tag Archives: Statistics

Welcome back to this week’s lesson 3: “Life Skills You Didn’t Learn in School.” Today’s discussion is Self-Defense and learning ways to protect yourself and your home. The reality is every 12 seconds a home invasion occurs and the chances of your home being robbed are 1 of 5 in your lifetime.

Unfortunately for me, back in the Fall of 2007 someone broke into me and my roommates apartment and stole hundreds of dollars worth of books and other personals. The home invasion occurred during the 50 minutes we were gone to go play basketball. What became a headache was the fact the police were trying to say we must have left the door unlock, (blah, blah) but I was certain we did not. Long story short we (not the cops) found the people crooks, and we eventually got our things back. Week’s later the cops called and said “It turns out, the crooks (3 of them) stole a master lock from the front office and broke into over 10 other apartments that day.” This was an eye opener for me because never did I think anything like this could happen to me, but I learned one thing, expect the unexpected.

Here’s some interesting facts I found online:

• Most invasions take place simply because the intruder knocked or rang the bell and the homeowner opened the door.
• There is over a 60% chance that you will be facing a weapon when robbed.
• The average dollar value stolen per burglary: $2,079.00
• 70.3% of Burglaries involve residential properties
• 67.6% of Burglaries involved forcible entry or attempts
• 38% of All assaults occur during a home invasion
• 60% of All rapes occur during a home invasion
• Every 3.2 seconds – One property crime occurs (household burglary, motor vehicle theft and property theft) Bureau of Justice Statistics.

• A uniformed individual tells you that they are in the area checking for a gas leak, a problem with your cable, or a problem with your telephone and request entry into your house. Solution: If you are unsure, make the person stand outside while you call and check with the business to verify the person is legit.
• A uniformed individual informs you that they have a delivery of some sort, usually flowers, telegram or a package. Solution: Be especially suspicious if you have no reason to expect a package.
• An individual appears at your door, informing you that you have won a contest or special prize. In this case they may just collect your information.
• The individual informs you that they are collecting for a charity or some other good cause. This sometimes provides an opportunity to snatch your purse or wallet.
• A stranger claims to be in some kind of distress and asks if he or she can use your phone or your washroom.