Through the Eyes of a Former Burglar: Common Mistakes Homeowners Make With Home Security (and How to Avoid Them)

Rossells Staff
Aug 14
6 min read

At Rossells Security Solutions, we’ve spent over nine decades protecting homes across Leicester and the East Midlands. We’ve installed thousands of alarm systems, CCTV cameras, and access controls — but one thing remains constant: criminals adapt, and they’re always looking for the easiest target. To understand what really makes a burglar choose one home over another, we sat down with “Mark” — a reformed burglar who served time for a string of break-ins across the UK in the late 90s and early 2000s. Today, Mark works with charities supporting ex-offenders and, and he’s agreed to speak candidly about the common mistakes homeowners make with home security, and how to fix them.

Mark - Burglar - Rossells Security Specialists

Meeting Mark

Mark doesn’t look like the stereotype you might picture. He’s calm, articulate, and dressed in a plain blue jacket with clean jeans. There’s no bravado, no chest-beating about what he used to do. If anything, he seems embarrassed. But when he talks about home security, his eyes sharpen.

Mark: “I’m not proud of my past. But if telling people how I used to work stops just one break-in, then it’s worth it.”

We started our conversation by asking the obvious question: How do burglars choose their targets?

Mark: “It’s not random. People think it is, but it’s not. We’d walk down a street and within five minutes I could pick out the two or three houses worth trying. Not because they looked rich — although that helps — but because they looked easy.”

The First Mistake: Thinking “It Won’t Happen to Me”

Mark laughs — not mockingly, but knowingly — when we bring this one up.

Mark: “I used to hear it all the time when I got caught. People would say, ‘I never thought it’d happen here.’ But burglars don’t think like that. They don’t care if it’s a ‘nice’ area or a ‘quiet’ village. In fact, sometimes that makes you more attractive, because you think you’re safe, so you don’t bother locking the shed or fitting a proper alarm.”

From Rossells’ perspective, this is where the security mindset starts. If you assume you’re a target — even if you never are — you’ll naturally take the small steps that make your home less appealing to an intruder.

Always lock doors, regardless of where you live

The Second Mistake: Poor Locks and Doors

We ask Mark what he used to look for first.

Mark: “The front door. Always. Some doors are a joke. You can tell the cheap UPVC ones from a mile away — old locks, no anti-snap cylinders. I’ve been in houses where I’ve opened the door in under 20 seconds, no noise, no fuss.”

Modern British Standard locks and reinforced doors make that job much harder. At Rossells, we fit high-security locking systems that meet insurance requirements and resist common forced-entry methods like lock snapping, drilling, and bumping.

Mark nods when we explain this.

Mark: “If I saw a decent lock — or a door with a multipoint system — I’d move on. Too much hassle, too much noise.”

The Third Mistake: Alarms Without Monitoring

We ask about alarms — surely they’re enough of a deterrent?

Mark: “Depends. If it’s just a bells-only alarm, I didn’t care. You get a few minutes before anyone bothers to check. And if the neighbours are used to hearing false alarms, no one’s coming anyway. A monitored alarm? That’s different. If I knew the police would be called straight away, that’s a risk.”

From our side, this is why we always recommend monitored alarm systems. With a monitored setup, the moment your system detects a break-in, a control room gets the signal, checks the situation, and alerts the police or your keyholder. It cuts out the “wait and see” factor that Mark relied on.

Out-buildings often get forgotten with home security

The Fourth Mistake: Forgetting the Garden and Outbuildings

Mark leans forward here, almost smiling.

Mark: “This was the best part for me — people would lock the house but leave the shed or garage wide open. Or worse, they’d lock them with a flimsy padlock you could snap with pliers. You’d be surprised how many people keep power tools, bikes, and even spare keys in there.”

From a security standpoint, this is where perimeter protection comes in. We install shed and garage alarms, motion-activated security lighting, and CCTV coverage that doesn’t just watch the front door but covers the whole property.

Mark adds another point.

Mark: “If I could get into your shed, I could often find tools to help me get into the house. That’s like giving me an all-access pass.”

The Fifth Mistake: Leaving Clues You’re Away

This one is classic, but still shockingly common.

Mark: “People think putting the lights on a timer is enough, but if all the lights go off at the same time every night, that’s a pattern. And if your curtains are shut for two weeks straight, that’s a pattern too. Plus, I’d check bins. If they were empty when everyone else’s were full, you weren’t home.”

At Rossells, we combine smart home technology with security to make your home look occupied in a more natural way. Smart lighting, blinds, and even TV simulators can be controlled from your phone or set to random schedules. Pair that with a monitored alarm and visible CCTV, and you make life much harder for someone like Mark.

The Sixth Mistake: Neglecting Windows

We ask if burglars really go through windows as often as films suggest.

Mark: “Absolutely. Especially if it’s a quiet back garden. Old single-glazed units or windows without locks — I could be through them in seconds. Even modern windows, if people leave them on the latch for air in summer, that’s an open invitation.”

From our perspective, window security isn’t just about locks — it’s about reinforcement. We fit window restrictors, laminated glass, and sensors that trigger the alarm the moment a window is tampered with.

The Seventh Mistake: No CCTV — or Poor CCTV

Mark admits CCTV made him think twice — but only if it was done properly.

Mark: “A fake camera? Waste of time. I could spot those straight away. A real camera that’s too high or pointing at the wrong thing? Same. But a proper HD camera at face height, covering the approach to the house? That’s trouble.”

This is why Rossells installs professionally designed CCTV systems. We plan camera placement to maximise coverage, minimise blind spots, and ensure image quality is good enough for police evidence — even at night.

The Eighth Mistake: Hiding Keys in Obvious Places

Mark chuckles again here.

Mark: “I’ve found so many keys under doormats, in plant pots, or on top of the door frame. You might as well leave me a note saying ‘help yourself.’”

We always recommend key safes with combination locks, mounted out of sight, rather than hiding keys. Better still, use smart locks that allow controlled access without physical keys — and which can be revoked instantly if lost.

The Ninth Mistake: Overlooking Small Entry Points

We ask Mark if dog flaps or small windows are really a risk.

Mark: “Absolutely. I knew people who’d get a kid to crawl through, or they’d just reach in with tools. Any opening big enough for a hand is an opportunity.”

From Rossells’ side, this is why we suggest tamper-proof dog flaps, locking cat flaps, and ensuring even the smallest windows have security measures.

The Tenth Mistake: Not Maintaining the System

Finally, Mark points out that even the best systems are useless if they’re not working.

Mark: “If I saw a camera covered in cobwebs or a broken alarm box, I knew no one was checking it. That’s a free pass.”

At Rossells, we offer maintenance contracts to keep alarms, CCTV, and access control systems in top working order — so they’re ready when you need them most.

Closing Thoughts from Mark

As we wrap up, we ask Mark what advice he’d give homeowners today.

Mark: “Make it harder for someone like I used to be. That’s it. If I walked past and thought, ‘Too much effort, too much risk,’ I’d move on. Burglars don’t want a challenge — they want an easy win. Don’t give it to them.”