Vacant Homes During Vacation Season, Beware of 'July 24th · 2 AM'

S-1 provides a secure envelope service that collects accumulated mail during vacations and returns it after the vacation ends.
[Photo by S-1]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] 'Beware of Vacant Homes During Vacation Season, July 24th and 2 AM'

The period with the highest number of break-in crimes during the vacation season is the fourth week of July, when summer vacation starts for elementary, middle, and high schools. The most frequent time for these crimes is between midnight and 6 AM, and break-ins occur more often in detached houses than in apartments.

According to an analysis by S-1 Crime Prevention Research Institute of break-in crime data from the concentrated vacation period?from the fourth week of July to the second week of August over the past five years (2015?2019)?the fourth week of July, when summer vacation begins for elementary, middle, and high schools, accounts for 29% of all break-in crimes during the vacation season, making it the period with the highest crime risk.

This is attributed to people neglecting security checks due to excitement as the vacation season officially begins. The following weeks were recorded in order: the first week of August (27%), the second week of August (23%), and the last week of July (21%). By date, break-ins are predicted to concentrate on Fridays, which mark the start of the peak vacation period (July 24th this year).

Crime Incidence Rates by Time of Day [Graphic by S-1]

The most dangerous time for break-in crimes is during late-night hours (00:00?06:00), accounting for 78%, followed by nighttime (18:00?24:00) at 10%, morning (06:00?12:00) at 10%, and afternoon (12:00?18:00) at 2%. Notably, crimes peak at 2 AM (22%), a dark and completely deserted time, so special attention to security is required during this hour.

Burglars identify vacant homes in advance and break in during late-night hours when there are few people around. To prevent this, it is necessary to avoid showing signs of vacancy by requesting delivery suspensions for newspapers, milk, and mail, or asking security offices or acquaintances to collect them.

By housing type, detached houses accounted for 59%, multi-family houses 7%, and apartments 3% of break-in crimes. Entry points were front doors (35%), windows (31%), and auxiliary doors (25%). Most window break-ins (68%) occurred because windows were left unlocked. Detached houses tend to have more windows than apartments, and if they are above the second floor, window inspections may be neglected, so caution is needed. The most commonly stolen items were cash (80%), followed by easily liquidated valuables such as jewelry, cigarettes, tools, and PCs.

The S-1 Crime Prevention Research Institute advised, "Before leaving for vacation, be sure to change the password on digital door locks and remove fingerprint marks to prevent password exposure," adding, "It is also important not to expose your vacation schedule or current location on social media."

Caps Home Door Guard by ADT Caps.
[Photo by ADT Caps]

Security companies plan to strengthen late-night patrols until the end of August to prevent break-in crimes such as burglaries during the vacation season. S-1 offers a service where customers can register their vacation, after which their homes are patrolled and any abnormalities are reported via text message. They also provide a secure envelope service that collects accumulated mail and returns it after the vacation.

ADT Caps reassures customers with its home security service specialized for front doors, 'Caps Home Door Guard.' Users can check real-time video of their front door anytime and anywhere through an app, and use features such as intrusion detection, delivery confirmation, and communication with visitors. Business owners running stores can monitor real-time video anytime and anywhere through 'Caps View Guard.'

An ADT Caps representative advised, "Before leaving for vacation, carefully check your security checklist. Single-person households or residents of multi-unit housing, who are relatively vulnerable to security risks, should use Caps Home Door Guard, while store owners should use professional security services like Caps View Guard to more effectively prevent crimes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.