Camera systems are becoming more common, not only are business owners installing them but homeowners too.
Some people argue that a security camera system is unnecessary if you have an alarm system and that they aren’t cost effective, but is that true?
Are home security cameras a deterrent to crime? In addition to alarm systems, alarm signs, and the presence of dogs, burglars report that spotting a home security camera would cause them to seek another target.
If you’re worried about the prevalence of unsavory behavior on or around your property that you’d witness with a home security camera, don’t be.
The presence of a home security system itself is sometimes enough of an effective way to deter potential criminals from getting any closer.
According to statistics, after security cameras are installed, crimes rates drop. For example, crime rates in Humboldt Park dropped 20% after video surveillance was implemented. As previously mentioned, the presence of security cameras act as a deterrent as criminals do not want to risk getting caught on camera.
Securitycamexpert.com
Advice From Burglars About Home Security Cameras
The National Council for Home Safety and Security states that, “Burglars are most attracted to homes that do not have home security systems.”
They also share the sad statistic that only about 17 percent of homes surveyed have any kind of video surveillance system set up, which is far too few!
Video surveillance of a home would be a factor in about 60% of burglars’ choice of a target. About 40% would choose an alternative target.
ADT.com
In 2012, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte did a study involving burglars and what motivated them.
Up to 422 participants were involved, all of them incarcerated women and men who had burglarized homes.
Seeing a home security system with a camera caused 60 percent of the respondents to look for another home to burgle.
More criminals – 83 percent – said they would want to check for the presence of an alarm before they even decided if robbing the home was worth it.
If a burglar got into a home and then saw a security camera, 37 percent of the respondents said they might continue robbing the home, but then again, they might not.
Far more of them, 50 percent, said they would stop, period.
Types Of Burglars
I do want to mention that all criminals are not the same. In that same University of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte study, two types of burglars were revealed.
There are impulsive burglars (also known as delinquent) and deliberate (opportunist) burglars, respectively.
Impulsive or delinquent burglars are the most common criminals.
They may be young without many opportunities in life and have backgrounds in violence and/or substance abuse. Peer pressure, boredom, and poverty can motivate their decisions.
When an impulsive or delinquent burglar robs you, they may decide on a whim, just because the chance is there.
These criminals also prefer to do the least amount of work yet reap the biggest reward. That means that sometimes even the presence of a security sign – real or fake – can send them packing.
Deliberate or opportunist criminals are the opposite of impulsive burglars in every way. They’ve been around the block a few times and have successfully committed a litany of crimes.
They know that rather than choosing a home to rob on a whim, it takes time and patience.
They’ll scope out your home for several days, watching when you and your family exit and enter the home. Then an opportunist burglar will choose to go in when no one is home.
Security signs won’t deter an opportunist burglar and cameras won’t either. This criminal might try to disable your security system or even cut the lines.
The good news is that you’re far less likely to come across opportunist robbers than you are delinquents.
An estimated 6,925,677 property crimes were committed in the United States in 2019. Property crimes include burglary, armed robbery, theft of motor vehicles, and arson.
ADT.com
Do Fake Security Cameras Deter Crime?
Sometimes people decide to invest in a fake security camera.
They reason that, like an alarm sign in the yard, having a visible camera on the premises will be enough to make a burglar decide on a different target. But is that really true?
While a novice burglar might see your dummy cameras and run the other way, apparently seasoned burglars can spot a fake from a mile away.
It seems that those red, blinking lights that make you think the camera is working are what gives it away.
According to an article from Northeast Security Solutions in West Springfiled, MA, “a blinking red light on a camera almost always screams “FAKE!” While decades-old camcorders may have a light that blinks while recording, modern security cameras do not.”
That said, since most burglaries are carried out on impulse, having a fake camera could quickly persuade someone who was looking for an opportunity to move on.
There are some drawbacks to having fake cameras on display:
- Sway Security notes that, “Criminals are well aware that by removing identifying clothing and never looking directly at the cameras there is little that can be captured that will identify them (even if they are real).”
- They also point out that criminals are counting on having time between them breaking in and the police arriving, to carry out their burglary, so they aren’t so worried about whether a camera is fake or real.
- If you were to be the victim of a burglary, a fake camera will be useless because it won’t record anything.
- There can be legal issues if a fake camera is installed by a landlord, because tenants can get a false sense of security.
Although there may be some high costs involved in installing a real system, there’s no doubt that overall, the best way to try to protect your property and yourself and family is to invest in a real cameras and a home security system.
Benefits Of Home Security Cameras
When you think of home security cameras, you probably think of a bigger camera that sits on a cabinet inside the home or one that is mounted on the wall outside by your back door.
But doorbell cameras, like the Ring (see it online here), are becoming widely used and their cameras can be an effective deterrent to burglars and their videos can be a great help to police officers.
- You have a video recording of the person if you are burglarized.
- Some cameras allow you to talk through them. Even if you aren’t home, it can seem like you are.
- Certain cameras allow you to check on your pets when you are out.
- American Family Insurance reports that some newer cameras can send a live feed directly to the police department.
- Live feeds from your camera can give you great peace of mind when you are away from your home.
- Insurance companies often offer discounts if you install a cctv system (aka video surveillance systems) and cctv cameras.
Ring’s Active Agency Map shows the home security camera company now has partnerships with more than 1,800 police departments in the U.S. out of nearly 18,000 total departments across the country.
Foxbusiness.com
‘One in 10 US police departments can now access videos from millions of privately owned home security cameras without a warrant.’
— Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan) May 18, 2021
Amazon’s Ring is the largest civilian surveillance network the US has ever seen | Lauren Bridges https://t.co/vxtR811AUl
I have a Ring doorbell camera and earlier this week, I got an alarm that a person had entered its alert zone.
You can see the man on the camera, standing on my front door steps, holding a clipboard. He looks up, spots the Ring, and heads back down the driveway within seconds.
Many of the burglars who responded to the UNC at Charlotte study talked about how they check during the day to ensure a home is unoccupied.
One of their favorite methods is to knock on the door while carrying a clipboard so they look like a worker.
If you answer the door, they look at the clipboard like they are looking at your name or a work order.
When you reply that you are not that person, they can walk away without looking suspicious.
In the case of my Ring doorbell camera, the man never got close enough to ring my doorbell, thankfully.
But if he had, I not only would have had him on camera, I could have talked to him through the Ring without the need to open the door (which you shouldn’t do anyway!).
Have I Answered The Question “Are Home Security Cameras A Deterrent”?
According to burglars themselves, having a home security system is a proven deterrent to criminal activity and can be an effective tool towards crime prevention.
It only makes sense that adding a camera to a home alarm system will make the system even more effective.
If you still aren’t convinced, take the word of 86 burglars serving time in the Oregon Department of Corrections.
They responded to an investigative team from KTVB7 in Boise, Idaho, who wanted to learn how burglars decide which home to hit.
When asked if a security camera was a deterrent, in general, the inmates agreed that it was.
This article has affiliate or sponsored links. If you buy something through those links I may earn a small commission. This won’t cost you extra. I only recommend things I really think are good, not just to make money. For more details, see my Affiliate Disclaimer.