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In 2024/2025, there were more than 166,000 home burglaries reported in England and Wales. That equates to an average of 456 a day – or one every 189 seconds, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
For that reason, it is essential making sure your home is safe and secure. And who would know better where the weaknesses in your home are than a former burglar?
Ex-burglar Michael Fraser explains the key way that burglars often know you are away for a prolonged period of time – and how you can make your home secure.
Many Brits have the habit of posting daily updates on social media but they might not realise criminals like some of those posts even more than friends do. Security experts have long warned that real-time holiday snaps and check-ins can tell criminals that your house is empty, and ex-offenders have openly admitted to using public posts to time break-ins.
As ex-burglar Michael puts it: “As for social media, I call that internet shopping… People foolishly put way too much information up on their social sites, and this makes things so simple for a burglar.”
Now a security consultant, Michael says the first step is to ‘think like a burglar’. In a recent police campaign, he walked through a house pointing out oversights criminals look for — unlocked windows, valuables on display, single locks — that make an opportunist’s life easy.
He also warns that having your calendar near the window could be dangerous, especially if you mark your holidays or plans on it, because burglars might see your schedule and then commit the crime when you are not at home. Ex-offenders say social media has made that reconnaissance effortless. In one UK feature based on interviews with former burglars, an offender admitted : “We used to keep tabs on when our followers were away from home. We could find out where they were going and how long to plan the best way of making a move.”
Timing is just as important as the content you are posting – real-time holiday snaps or airport check-ins can be read as a vacancy notice.
So what should you show and hide? Keep real-time travel off public feeds, avoid ‘checked-in at’ posts that confirm your miles from home, and make sure shots do not reveal your street or layout through reflections or background details.
If you like posting décor updates, save them to private stories and strip metadata that gives away location. Surveillance specialists at Online Spy Shop advise practising one simple rule: tighten your social settings and keep personal details off public profiles.
Michael says: “Update your social media privacy settings. People are surprised when they discover their holiday photos are visible to everyone, not just their friends.”
Burglars usually decide if your house is convenient for them just by inspecting the outside. Michael’s walk-throughs with police show how quickly burglars notice weak spots, such as:
– Dark entryways – Keys and handbags visible in the hallway – Tools left in an unlocked shed – A single basic door lock So it is wise to have a proper security system to protect your house. Focus on the basics first. Make sure that your pavement and the outside of the house are well lit and have no deep shadows, overgrown shrubs, or easy climbing aids like wheelie bins or ladders. Consider using hidden recording devices too. Sometimes criminals tamper with visible security cameras, but there is a good chance they will not even notice a hidden camera disguised as an everyday object.
Surveillance experts at Online Spy Shop say that covert cameras can act as ‘hidden witnesses, silently observing and recording illicit activity. Footage captured by these cameras can aid authorities in identifying and prosecuting perpetrators’. So while it is a good idea to have CCTV cameras, you can pair them with hidden cameras to increase your security and surveillance. Before posting anything on your public social media account, ask yourself what a stranger can learn in 10 seconds from your post. Are you away? Is the street identifiable? Does any sign in the picture reveal more than you’d feel safe sharing?
Ex-burglars’ statements suggest those ‘scraps’ are exactly what they looked for. It is better to observe safety guidelines before posting on social media than to risk hefty losses.
