Successful escape after intrusion and theft, like so many other
fraudulent activities, occurs more frequently during certain periods of
the year. The variations in the rate of reported thefts indicate a
close, direct relationship between the number of nighttime hours and the
frequency of the crime. Police reports show that thefts increase as the
number of daylight hour’s decrease during the fall and winter months,
reaching a high point in December (Remember when this examiner presented
Solving Cases of Murder Parts 1 and 2 December is the Highest Months for
Murder). The rate decreases, as the days become longer, reaching a low
point during the summer months.
The
reported thefts in cities and suburban areas follow this prototypical
frequency pattern. Yet, rural burglaries are reported more frequently
during the summer months. Law enforcement officers from these areas
have attributed this deviation from the general trend to several facts.
For example, there is a rural population increase during the summer
months especially in resort areas. Further the summer months bring an
increase in the crime. This is especially true in states with a large
farming economy. During the summer months the number of unattended
farmhouses occur due to the fact that the farmers are working their
fields or away taking produce to the market. Finally, many people
especially in colder climates have summer homes or cottages.
During the
early summer months resident’s return to their cabins only to discover
that during the long winter, these homes were burglarized. Thus the
late discovery accounts for the late reports, which contributes to not
only the number of unsolved burglaries (again due to a delay in
discovery) but also the increase in reports of the crimes during the
summer months.
Today’s
burglary poses a far more physical threat to victims or the police
officers for that matter as our entire national social mores have
drooped from that which is so eloquently described by the constitution
as a country under the precepts of God or the Ten Commandments to one
which has seen leaders of our nation involved with issues which were
simply inconsistent with the American way of life just ten short years
ago.
It is
quite unfortunate but the crime of burglary has been popularized on
television or in fiction as masked stealthy individuals who are quick to
exit when discovered. In reality, the burglar is inclusive of all
races, creeds, sizes, shapes, ages and nationalities. They could be
highly skilled artisans, a deranged person, a blundering idiot or a
destructive or even violent juvenile.
The simple
thieves of fiction stories are indeed fiction and not fact. Burglars
will and do commit rapes, assaults as well as homicides. History has
taught that the potential for violence is present in every burglary and
is relative to the criminal being discovered or not. Just as any
criminal, the burglar wishes to escape detection and if they are
discovered, will not hesitate to use a weapon when apprehended.
The
psychological profile of the burglar as one might imagine is the burglar
acts intense and anxious while engaged in such criminal activities.
Their apprehensive state or nervousness can easily be triggered into a
blind rage or panic if discovered. Under these conditions they are
considered extremely dangerous.
Modern
burglars are vigorous criminals from almost any age group. Records of
arrest indicate that three out of every four-burglary arrest made by
police or sheriff’s departments were persons under twenty-five years of
age. With petty burglary, the most frequently arrested or caught were
fifteen to seventeen years of age.
The invasion by other criminal types within the burglary field is
attributed to the fact that this is one of the few crimes, which
provides a quick burglar, the Professional source cash. Class A
Narcotic addicts such as Heroin, Cocaine especially Crack Cocaine, Speed
or methenphedomine will resort to burglary or even assault and burglary
to obtain the necessary money to sustain their habit and not go through
the feeling of coming down.
Burglars
are generally classified into group’s types. Those are the casual or
amateur burglar, the Juvenile burglar, the Professional burglar or Cat
Burglar.
Thus to being our understanding of the burglar’s personality profile we
will begin with the Casual or Amateur Burglar. Modern technology has
provided the casual or amateur burglar with the ability to be mobile and
can travel very far and wide searching for the easy opportunity to
steal. The act of purse snatching for example is often based on the
opportunity for success. The gun or weapon hold-up is relative to the
burglars desire and ability to strike quickly and flee the scene.
Places,
which are easy to burglarize or present the least hazard for detection
or apprehension, yield this type of criminal the most frequent
opportunity. Even the “amateur burglar must be classified as a serious
threat to health and safety. The are generally armed and will use their
weapon if discovered. This type of burglar generally causes needles
damage to property in their efforts to commit the burglary as quickly as
possible. Thus although amateur sounds better, it is their lack of
experience which often causes them to be caught in the act and use
deadly force in order to flee the scene.
Later we will go into death, the wanton destruction of property and
vandalism associated with these crimes and as well as finish our present
discussion of the personality traits or profiles of the
various types of burglars.
