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Do fake security cameras attract burglars?

BryanMatthews | Aug 5, 2010 |

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The idea of installing fake security cameras to increase your home's protection from burglars does at first seem like a good one. They are a lot cheaper than their fully working equivalents. The good ones have glass lenses that look like a real lens and they are housed in sturdy metal cases. Some of them even have a rotating motion so they look as if they are panning the area and the occasional blinking light or even fake aerial for transmitting their video feed wirelessly.

However while I'm sure many burglars would be deterred by the presence of such a camera the cunning burglar might not. It's a sorry fact that many burglars are 'professionals'. They make a so called career out of stealing and often begin at an early age. They learn the tricks and what to look out for quickly and inspite of their moral bankruptcy can be quite smart. Many homes that are protected by cameras are expensive. They often sit in large gardens and have driveways with iron gates. In short they are expensive properties that are likely to contain expensive possessions. In other words they are the ideal hunting ground for burglars and as such the owners need to, indeed can afford to, spend a lot of money on home security. However install a 'real' security camera on my house and it would look ridiculous! The home is neither big enough nor expensive enough to warrant such a security system and installing fakes could draw attention to their property for the wrong reasons.

Because of the mismatch between the house and its security system burglar might think that either A) there is something inside that must be really expensive and worth stealing (but this is quite unlikely) or B) the cameras are probably fake because an owner of a house like this probably couldn't afford a full on home security system with outdoor security cameras. The burglar is more likely to come to this judgement in my opinion.

Of course, this is just my opinion. One situation where fake security cameras can be particularly effective is if you already have real ones. In this case they can make it look as if you have many more cameras than you do and if they are supplied by the same manufacturer will be totally convincing. This can be a cheap way to increase your coverage of outdoor areas such as shed or garages. You can keep the real cameras for protecting the really important entry points like front and back doors.