SARAH DOUGHERTY: Special to The Gazette – June 21, 2002
Stephanie Arpin had a sinking feeling when she came home from work recently and found her front door unlocked.
Her fear turned to anger when she realized her Montreal apartment had been ransacked. A burglar had stolen jewelry and money. Larger items were untouched.
“I felt violated,” Arpin said. “They’d had the il’ grubby little hands everywhere.”
The thief had climbed in after breaking the screen on her first-floor bathroom window.
It takes a burglar about three to four minutes to enter a home. Contrary to popular belief, most break-ins occur in the day, when you’d think thieves would l’un the greatest risk of detection.
Most occur via the front door, an entry you’d expect to be the most secure.
If these facts are discouraging, take heart. According to crime-prevention experts, there are many steps you can take, several of them simple and inexpensive, to make thieves look at your home and move on.
The most effective security measure is to give the illusion you are in when you are out, according to Joseph Lambert of Operation Tandem, a city of Montreal-sponsored crime-prevention organization.
“Most of these crimes are not done by professional burglars, they are crimes of opportunity,” Lambert said. “The thieves are nervous and small changes will make them think twice.”
Using automatic timers on lights and radios, posting a Beware of Dog sign and alarm stickers and turning off the ringer on your phone when you go out are sorne simple steps you can take.
Of course, making sure doors and windows are secure is also essential.
The most effective security measure is to give the illusion you are in when you are out.
Tandem ‘s Joseph Lambert
Operation Tandem makes free visits to apartments and houses for security audits, Lambert said. (See the blue pages of your phone book for the Tandem office in your district.)
Most landlords are co-operative about taking reasonable security measures, Lambert said.
But when they aren’t, Tandem can resort to tougher measures, including door-to-door visits accompanied by police and calling in city inspectors.
George Manoli, posted at Station 27 in Ahuntsic, is a community-relations officer specializing in helping crime victims. He’s come up with sorne pretty creative ide as on how to discourage burglars, including hanging a dog leash in your hallway.
Other suggestions are listed in the accompanying Tip Sheet.
“The key is to place several hurdles in the way of a thief,” Manoli said. “Don’t just rely on a lock and alarm.
The key is to place several hurdles in the way of a thief. Don’t just rely on a lock and alarm.
They will stop a thief from eating and sleeping in your home, but not from entering it.”
And there is no substitute for vigilant neighbours.
“The best alarm rings at your neighbour’s,” Manoli said.
Popular targets for thieves are CDs (especially easy to conceal), computers, jewelry, electronic goods and, depending on their size, TVs and VeRs, according to Manoli.
Many of these items are easy to engrave with an identifying number like a driver’s license. An engraving pen can be borrowed from any police station or Tandem Montreal. You can then post stickers on your doors or windows showing your valuables are identifiable.
Small valuables should be hidden in an unlikely place. “Most thieves go straight to the master bedroom,” Manoli said.
July and August are often peak months for break-ins, probably because it is a popular vacation time. (Police of fi cers used to visit homes on request during vacations, but now this service is offered only if officers are available and the visit is very cursory, according to police spokesman Sergeant Eric Goyet.)
Manoli declined to identify Montreal neighbourhoods with particularly high rates of break-ins, but statistics published by the Insurance Bureau of Canada indicate that the Plateau MontRoyal and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve are the top two hot spots.
“No matter where you live, the thief will ask certain questions,” Manoli said. “Is the home occupied? Am 1 likely to be seen? Can 1 get in and out easily? Is there anything worth stealing? Is there an escape route? Are there tools available to help and is there a disguise and diversion to help?”
Since her break-in, Arpin makes sure to close and lock her bathroom window. She still feels insecure, but is torn about moving, especially giving Montreal’s housing crunch. She is clear on one thing: ”l’d never live on the first floor again.”