According to the statistics, a break in occurs once every 15 or so seconds.
This means that every minute four break ins take place.
It means that every hour, there are about 240 break ins.
Of course, these numbers don't look very pleasant.
In fact, they sound downright gloomy and are enough to make you feel unsafe in your own home.
The very fact that crime is so high has made some home owners think twice about their own home security.
Many people are looking at home alarms.
Given the decrease in price of home alarm systems in recent years and the wide variety of companies offering home security services, plus the DIY options, home alarms are becoming incredibly popular.
Many people are also looking at home security cameras to either complement their home alarm systems or as their main security device.
The basic fact is that when break ins do occur, very often, thieves get away with the crime.
They usually aren't caught.
It can be very hard to apprehend, let alone prosecute a thief.
More often then not, there's simply not enough indicting evidence.
Some thieves do manage to bypass home alarm systems (or some homeowners neglect to arm them) and they will steal whatever they can get their hands on.
In these cases, they most likely will get away and they will go on to commit more robberies.
Unfortunately, justice is scarce when it comes to robberies.
Surveillance cameras, however, are changing the game.
These days, security cameras are pretty ubiquitous.
There are hidden cameras, spy cameras and so on.
Getting a home security camera is easy and cheap too.
You can even use a web camera for surveillance purposes.
Choosing the right home security camera for your home depends on your individual needs.
There are all sorts of cameras you can choose from.
Here's a look at some of the options available.
As mentioned before, web cameras can double as home security cameras.
This may actually be your cheapest option.
Web cameras can be purchased for around $20 sometimes less, although the picture quality won't be great.
The great thing about web cameras is that they are extremely easy to set up, they are unobtrusive, and you can stream their images to any computer in the world.
With a web cam you can keep an eye on your house while at work or on vacation.
Spy cameras or pinhole cameras are another option.
These are good for keeping an eye on nannies or housekeepers or even repairmen or construction workers.
Wireless spy cameras can be placed anywhere.
They are usually powered by a small battery which needs to be replaced every so often.
Because they are so small, the picture quality won't be great and they probably won't work in poorly lit areas.
Still, you can get spy cameras with infrared functionality to capture images at night.
Permanent security cameras offer the best quality.
These are larger and generally more expensive.
The good thing about these is that they do record in high quality and will last for years.