Protecting Your Home

Residential break and enter (also known as burglary) is when someone enters someone else’s home without permission in order to steal something. This is different to robbery, which is when someone uses violence to take something from someone else. Although the number of break and enter offences has dropped by more than half since 2000, it is one of the most common crimes in NSW and costs between $150–500 million every year.

For data on break and enter in your local area, please visit BOCSAR's crime tool.

Most homes get broken into during the day and when no one is at home. Offenders are often breaking in to support a drug habit, and most often steal items that are most valuable, easiest to carry, and easiest to trade for cash.

Most commonly stolen items in NSW:

• cash

• laptop computers

• jewellery

• cameras

• wallets / handbags / purses

Most break and enter offences are not planned in advance. This means that there are some easy tips you can follow to make your home less attractive and reduce your likelihood of becoming a victim. Take a look at the Safe Design Home and Virtual House for tips on how to increase the security of your house or apartment.