We've always heard that one of the best ways to prevent residential break and enter crimes is to have "nosy neighbours" who will notice if something unusual is going on at your home. Try telling that to my neighbour. A few years ago, he asked me to keep an eye on his house when he went away for vacation. I did, and early one morning I noticed with a sinking feeling that the back door was hanging wide open. Someone had smashed through the front door in the middle of the night, ransacked the home, and escaped out the back. I never heard a thing.

Having a break-in at your home prompts an emotional roller coaster. You go from shock and disbelief and a sense of violation, to anger and frustration, because it's unlikely you'll ever get your stolen articles returned. Your feelings later can turn to fear that someone will break in again, and suspicion of any strangers passing by on the street. You may also feel guilt that you could have done more to prevent the crime.

Break-ins are an all-too-common occurrence in Canada, with more than 200,000 reported to the police in 2008. Roughly six in 10 break-ins were at homes. But a new Statistics Canada report says that the rate of break and enters was 10 per cent lower last year (some 22,000 break-ins) than in 2007, continuing a downward trend that began in the early 1990s. The break and enter rate is now less than half of what was in 1991.

"Specialized policing programs as well as an increasing use of home security devices, such as burglar alarms, motion detectors and new locks/security bars, may explain some of the decrease in break and enters," says Marnie Wallace, author of the Statistics Canada report. However, "increases in insurance deductibles could also be related to fewer break and enters being reported to police," she says.

An older StatsCan report, conducted in 2002, says that 62 per cent of Canadians who experienced a break and enter reported it to the police. However, police only solved 17 per cent of residential break and enters in 2002. Who is breaking in? The report found that 63 per cent of those charged with break and enters were adults and 37 per cent were youths between the ages of 12 and 17.

The highest rate of break and enters in Canada is in Saskatchewan, although it was down by 15 per cent in 2008. The cities reporting the highest break and enter rate are Abbotsford-Mission in B.C. and Regina, Sask. The city with the lowest rate is Toronto. Trois-Rivieres, Que. is bucking the national average, with the rate of break and enters there rising by 31 per cent.

Break and enters accounted for 10 per cent of all reported crime in Canada last year. Theft under $5,000 topped the list of crimes (25 per cent), followed by mischief (17 per cent), break and enter, common assault (eight per cent), administration of justice offences (eight per cent), motor vehicle theft (six per cent) and disturbing the peace (five per cent).

With the daily media emphasis on crimes, most people have a hard time believing that the crime rate is dropping. But both the volume of crime and its overall severity dropped by five per cent in 2008, says Statistics Canada.

After the break-in next door, my neighbour fortified the locks and door frames on his house, put security bars on the basement windows and installed a burglar alarm. A 2004 study says that 34 per cent of Canadians installed new locks or security bars on their homes, and that more than twice as many homes had alarms or motion detectors in 2004 than in 1993.

There are several other ways to make your home less likely to be victimized by a break and enter. Eliminate hiding places by trimming any shrubs near windows or doors. Keep the outside of the home well-lit. If you store tools or ladders in the garage, make sure it is locked so they can't be stolen or used to break into the house.

When going away on vacation, place lights on timers, and ask a neighbour to collect the mail and flyers so there is no accumulation at your front door. If it's winter, make sure someone will clear away snow from your front door.

Keep records of the serial numbers of appliances and electronics so they can be more easily identified if they are stolen. You should also have a photo inventory of all your valuables in case you must make an insurance claim. Engrave larger items with an identification number – some local police forces offer programs to help with this.

Implementing all of the above measures will never completely eliminate break and enters, but with the crime rate dropping at a steady pace, they must be helping.

Published: August 4, 2009

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Jim Adair is editor of REM: Canada's Real Estate Magazine, a business publication for real estate agents and brokers. He has been writing about Canadian real estate, home building and renovation issues for more than 30 years. You can contact Jim at .