Although it sounds weird, there are instances where burglars break into your home and don’t take anything. You’d think it beats the whole purpose of being a burglar, but sometimes there are some practical reasons why your valuables are intact. So, why would a burglar not take anything?
The most common reason burglars don’t take anything is that there wasn’t anything of value for them since burglars usually look for specific things like jewelry. It could also be because they’re planning to return and then take something.
If you want to know even more reasons why burglars don’t take anything, continue reading this article. I’ll also mention some useful tips on how to avoid falling prey to burglars.
Reasons Why Burglars Don’t Take Anything
There’s Nothing Valuable To Take
More often than not, burglars are interested in only a limited number of items that are valuable to them. So, even if you think that mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs might keep a few burglars from the street for a couple of weeks, the truth is, they may not be interested in those items.
For starters, things like TVs are too big to steal and take away, and other times I mentioned are simply too difficult to “cash in.” It’s especially difficult in this day and age, with all those passwords and security warnings on our devices. Plus, it’s really easy for police to trace those stolen objects. It’s just not valuable enough for burglars to steal those things.
They’re Planning To Return
The way some burglars operate is to break into someone’s house just to check if it’s worth stealing from that place. After all, they don’t want to risk going to prison for nothing. This is usually done with larger burglaries.
So, if your house was broken into and nothing was taken, then you might expect burglars to return to the “crime scene.” In that case, those burglars most definitely followed your schedule and habits and know when you’re not at home.
Burglars could break in even when you’re at home, though. So, read my other article about burglars breaking in when people are at home to see all the important information and stat.
In any case, even if you notice nothing was stolen the first time, let the police know about it in case burglars decide to return.
They’re Interested in a Specific Item
As I mentioned earlier, burglars have specific items in mind when breaking into someone’s house, but those specific items are still general. Jewelry is something specific burglars are looking for, but almost everyone has those, so in that sense, it’s general.
However, some burglars break into a house because they know that you have something specific, something no one else has. It might be some unique and really expensive art piece, for instance. However, many people don’t have those super rare objects, so burglars can’t do anything else but leave the house empty-handed.
Those types of burglars are, some might say, more “sophisticated,” and they’re not interested in those small items that any street burglar might steal. They’re focused on the movie-style burglary with high stakes to lose and millions of dollars to earn for their crime.
If you have a unique object that many burglars would like to have, then the best place for such an object is a bank safe and not your bedroom wall or cabinet.
They’re Trying To Alarm You, Not Steal Anything
One commonly used intimidation tactic is breaking into a house without taking anything. It’s like saying, “Look, I can do what I want. This is a warning for you.” As you can imagine, the aim here isn’t to steal something but to intimidate that house’s occupant about something.
This is a less dangerous way to scare somebody because the only crime is breaking into a house, and if the burglars are careful about leaving fingerprints and other evidence, they won’t even be caught.
So, if there was a burglary in your house and nothing was taken, you might want to try to think if you know some people capable of doing something like this.
They Don’t Want Material Possessions
Imagine this: you’ve just noticed that your door is open even though you’re sure you locked it before leaving. So, you realize somebody broke into your house. You quickly go to see what’s missing, and you’re surprised to see everything’s there. “They probably got scared and left,” you think to yourself.
Sometimes, you might think burglars didn’t take anything, but that doesn’t have to be true necessarily. Your material possessions–money, jewelry, electronic devices–are all there, but maybe that’s something burglars didn’t want to take but were interested in some piece of information.
You see, the reason why burglars didn’t take anything is because they broke into your home just to take pictures of important documents. This is then used for blackmail purposes. What’s more, some burglars are only interested in stealing identities.
So, even if nothing is stolen, call the police and block all your bank accounts just to be on the safe side in case burglars stole your personal information.
Tips To Avoid A Burglary
Sometimes, your own actions cause your house to be broken into. However, there are many ways you can avoid this horrible situation. Some tips here are easy to implement (the first four), while others will require you to spend some money for that extra security.
Here are some tips to avoid burglary:
- Always lock every door and window.
- Don’t brag to other people about what you own.
- Don’t post pictures of your house and your possessions.
- Don’t place valuables in obvious places, like your office or bedroom.
- Get a guard dog.
- Install light all around the home and keep it on.
- Get strong, anti-burglary doors.
- Set up a security system, including an alarm and cameras
Conclusion
As you can see, there are numerous reasons burglars break into somebody’s house and don’t take anything, however absurd this might sound. Some of the reasons are:
- Intimidation tactic.
- Identity theft.
- They’re planning to return.
However, a strong security system or simply locking everything and not posting about your home will not only deter burglars but also prevent them from breaking into your home.
