For some, the walk-in closet is more than a storage space. It’s the starting point for the day or an event, where precise decisions are made to help define the experiences ahead. The right tie clip, earrings, watch, or handbag are carefully considered to meet the moments to come.
Thieves don’t look at a walk-in closet that way. They see it as their ATM for a quick smash and grab, eager to run off with your valuable accessories, luxury bags, and jewellery, regardless of the past moments, experiences, and memories they hold.
A growing break and enter trend
From 2022 to 2023, cities across Canada have seen an increase in the rates of break and enter crime. Halifax saw a 25% jump, while Winnipeg saw a whopping increase of 55%. In the first three and a half months of 2024, Toronto endured a 31.5% increase when compared to the same period of the year before. In total, there was a 4% increase in break and enters across the country1.
For luxury homeowners, the risk involves organized criminal groups, and the small crews they assemble for a break and enter. They come in “hard and fast”, locate their targeted items, and leave before authorities or a security firm can respond2.
Items targeted by thieves during a break and enter
Thieves want to get in and out fast. That means lightweight and easy to take items. They can steal an Hermès Birkin bag, fill it with the contents of a watch case and jewellery box, and conceivably run off with valuables worth hundreds of thousands dollars…carrying it all in one hand.
Handbags: More than an accessory, high-end handbags are an investment that hold their value and can appreciate over time – especially for items that were released in limited numbers. In fact, “Credit Suisse estimates that high-end handbags are one of the best investments of 2023, beating out both art and jewellery.”3
Timepieces: With a strong secondary market, used luxury watch brands remain in high demand. According to the Watch Register, an international registry of stolen watches, 2022 saw a 40% increase in stolen Rolexes. In that year, it also reported $1.3 billion worth of stolen luxury watches4.
Jewellery: Historically known for its value, jewellery has long been sought by thieves. With a long-standing black market for high-end pieces, there are well-established “fences” (black market sellers) who sell them for thieves in many major North American cities5.
How to protect you and your home from a break and enter
Here are some tips suggested by experts:2
- Install an invisible “fence” with a perimeter security system, which includes:
- Outdoor motion detectors
- Door and window sensors (on secondary floors as well, especially if there balconies)
- Security cameras
- Fencing systems
- Hire a security firm to monitor your home and its alarms.
- Make design modifications to your home:
- Install double-paned glass or apply window films to prevent shattering.
- Install basement window well covers.
- Install safes that are bolted to the floors
- Ensure your alarm should be armed whenever the home is left unattended, even for a quick trip to the grocery store.
- Establish an alarm plan so your family can meet in a safe place within the home in the event of a break and enter.
Keeping thieves out
Thieves understand your busy lifestyle and know that your primary home can be empty for long stretches of time. However, even if you’re home, you can rest a little easier knowing that their interest isn’t to engage with homeowners. They just want to quickly get in and out with your valuables. The more preventative measures you take to frustrate and disrupt their attempt, the more time you give your security firm and authorities to respond to the alarms…making thieves want to give up before they succeed in their attempts.
1 Are home invasions rising in Canada? How to protect yourself - National | Globalnews.ca
2 How the wealthy ensure the security of their families and homes - The Globe and Mail
3 20 of the World's Most Expensive Handbags: Hermès, Chanel and More (wwd.com)
4 Rolex was the most-stolen luxury watch in 2022 (nypost.com)
