Long winter night significantly increases the chance of burglary

The long winter nights and upcoming holiday season mean that you stand a much greater chance of being burgled in the coming weeks. According to the Burglary Barometer, the chance of a burglary increases by an average of 72 percent until December. The risk of falling victim to a burglary increases most for residents of Zeeland, Drenthe and Limburg in the coming weeks, the Telegraaf reports.

The risk of a burglary always increases during the winter months, with a clear peak around the holidays. During New Year's the chance of a burglary triples compared to other days in the peak months of December and January. During the Christmas days, you are 50 percent more likely to fall victim to a break-in than on other days in these months.

The Burglary Barometer predicts the chance of a burglary per neighborhood based on a self-learning algorithm that uses different public data sources. This takes into account information such as seasonal patterns, break-in frequency, age structure fo a neighborhood, family composition of a neighborhood, and school holidays. And the predictions prove to be accurate, Youri van der Avoird of Interpolis, which developed the barometer, said to the Telegraaf.

According to Van der Avoird, residents can take simple measures to deter burglars. "Burglars hate light, noise and long work. In the dark months they know exactly when residents are not at home and of course they like to operate in the dark themselves. Security measures such as an automatic lighting system, an alarm, or good hinges and locks greatly reduce the chance of a home burglary", Van der Avoird said.

Find out exactly how likely you are to be burgled in your neighborhood here.