Advice from a Burglar

In the U.S. last year, burglars broke into more than 1,600,000 houses and apartments and made off with $350 million worth of furs, jewels, silver and other valuables. According to Robert Earl Barnes, 40% of those burglaries occurred simply because householders were careless. Barnes, 35, should know. Since stealing a bike at the age of eleven, he has, by his own reckoning, robbed 3,000 homes; the police in Washington, D.C., credit him with more than 300 burglaries totaling $2,000,000 in that city alone. Completing the second year of a 15-year Maryland prison term for housebreaking, Barnes apparently feels repentant, and has written an illustrated booklet titled How Safe Is Your House From Burglars? which the Washington Evening Star is publishing.

> "Although the average door opens inward, your home would be protected far better if you changed the hinges so that it would open outward. If done, your door could never be kicked in."

> "Do not give your exact address when you advertise valuables for sale. In numerous instances, the professional burglar meticulously searches the want ads to discover what you have for sale, what time you will be in so the merchandise can be inspected, and what your address and telephone number are."

> "Whenever the property owner has a death within the family, he should have a neighbor or friend remain at the house while the family attends the funeral services. Burglars are not saddened by others' deaths."

> "Never leave just a small light burning when you are leaving home. This has been used as a disguise so much that even the novice burglar comprehends that it is a falsehood and that no one is within the dwelling. When leaving your home for a shopping trip or an evening out, turn your radio on so that it can be heard by anyone standing near your front or rear door."

> "If you have the type of mail box that hangs outside your home, have it replaced with the door slot type, so that your mail falls concealed inside your house. More homes are burglarized by the mail watchers than any other method employed by burglars."

> "The average burglar comprehends that any time during the hot, humid months that he can discover a home with air conditioners turned off, the odds are great the home is vacant."

One day, after he has finished serving his time, Barnes plans to design and sell security devices. "I think I've perfected a window that can't be entered, and I've got some ideas about locks," he says.

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