The research shows the Top 10 safety and security lapses are:
1. more than three-quarters (76 per cent) don’t have a burglar alarm or have one but don’t always turn it on before they go out.
2. Six-in-10 (59 per cent) don’t always ask a tradesman for identification.
3. Almost half 48 (per cent) don’t bother leaving a light on when away from home.
4. Over four-in-10 (46 per cent) don’t always check that appliances are switched off every time they leave the house.
5. Just over a third (37 per cent) would not bother to have the locks changed if they lost their keys.
6. 27 per cent leave spare keys outside their house e.g. under a mat.
7. Over a quarter (27 per cent) do not possess a smoke alarm and those that do, don’t check it regularly.
8. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) smoke in their home or allow others to.
9. Nearly one-in-five (18 per cent) say they don’t always lock all their doors and windows when they go out.
10. One-in-six (14 per cent) have no idea how many people have keys to their home.

Despite the major gap between perceptions and reality about household safety and security almost nine-in-10 (89 per cent) of those quizzed believe homeowners that take safety precautions seriously such as fitting locks, alarms and other measures should pay lower insurance premiums.

But a surprising and worrying finding reveals that one in five (17 per cent) do not have a home insurance policy.

1. North Dakota

This state ranks bottom on all crime categories.

Rankings:

Murder: 50
Rape: 40
Robbery: 50
Assault: 49
Burglary: 50
Motor Vehicle Theft: 45

2. Vermont

The scenery, the tranquility… what’s not to like in Vermont?

Rankings:

Murder: 48
Rape: 43
Robbery: 49
Assault: 47
Burglary: 38
Motor Vehicle Theft: 48

3. Maine

Maine is the safest place for residents who owns a car. It ranks lowest on the auto theft crimes.

Rankings:

Murder: 46
Rape: 39
Robbery: 44
Assault: 50
Burglary: 39
Motor Vehicle Theft: 50

4. New Hampshire

As New Hampshire is between Vermont and Maine, it is only natural that New Hampshire shares the same level of ranking.

Rankings:

Murder: 1
Rape: 45
Robbery: 1
Assault: 8
Burglary: 26
Motor Vehicle Theft: 6

5. Wyoming

Wyoming is known to be a state with low income and low economic growth, but it is commendable because it does not fall prey to crime.

Rankings:

Murder: 36
Rape: 41
Robbery: 48
Assault: 32
Burglary: 40
Motor Vehicle Theft: 46

6. South Dakota

It may be one of the safest states to live in, but this state ranks high on the list of states with the most number of rape cases.

Rankings:

Murder: 40
Rape: 4
Robbery: 46
Assault: 46
Burglary: 48
Motor Vehicle Theft: 47

7. Montana

Montana’s low crime rate may be due to Montana residents owning guns and firearms.

Rankings:

Murder: 44
Rape: 27
Robbery: 45
Assault: 26
Burglary: 46
Motor Vehicle Theft: 40

8. Iowa

This sate has been constantly on the list of the safest and most livable states in America.

Rankings:

Murder: 48
Rape: 34
Robbery: 42
Assault: 27
Burglary: 31
Motor Vehicle Theft: 44

9. Wisconsin

Wisconsin is another state that has consistently ranked low on crime rates.

Rankings:

Murder: 32
Rape: 46
Robbery: 33
Assault: 45
Burglary: 43
Motor Vehicle Theft: 37

10. West Virginia

West Virginia is know for its low crime rate and their affordable housing and land market.

Rankings:

Murder: 28
Rape: 49
Robbery: 40
Assault: 28
Burglary: 29
Motor Vehicle Theft: 41

11. Connecticut

Most New Yorkers think of settling down in this state to get away from the hassles of the Big Apple, even if it means a 1-hour commute.

Rankings:

Murder: 35
Rape: 47
Robbery: 22
Assault: 44
Burglary: 44
Motor Vehicle Theft: 29

12. Idaho

Another city known to be consistently on the list of the safest states to live in is Idaho.

Rankings:

Murder: 39
Rape: 13
Robbery: 46
Assault: 30
Burglary: 34
Motor Vehicle Theft: 42

Source: AOL Money and Finance

1. Nevada

Nevada comes on top of the list with its crime rankings all over. It does not have the highest murder rate, but other crimes seem to be setting the place off.

Rankings:

Murder: 3
Rape: 11
Robbery: 2
Assault: 13
Burglary: 7
Motor Vehicle Theft: 1

2. New Mexico

This state gives an image of open desert spaces. While these can be a change of scenery for people wanting to get away from the city, it’s been causing some problems for the locals.

Rankings:

Murder: 6
Rape: 2
Robbery: 25
Assault: 2
Burglary: 2
Motor Vehicle Theft: 14

3. Arizona

It’s another border state with desert spaces, cliffs, and rocks. These are a great view despite the crime rate, by the way.

Rankings:

Murder: 5
Rape: 24
Robbery: 15
Assault: 16
Burglary: 11
Motor Vehicle Theft: 2

4. Maryland

Despite the beautiful name, this state ranks highest in murder and robbery.

Rankings:

Murder: 1
Rape: 45
Robbery: 1
Assault: 8
Burglary: 26
Motor Vehicle Theft: 6

5. Tennessee

The state of Tennessee is currently the second state with the most number of assaults.

Rankings:

Murder: 9
Rape: 20
Robbery: 7
Assault: 2
Burglary: 4
Motor Vehicle Theft: 13

6. South Carolina

Sunny South Carolina currently has the most number of assaults.

Rankings:

Murder: 6
Rape: 10
Robbery: 17
Assault: 1
Burglary: 6
Motor Vehicle Theft: 19

7. Alaska

Alaska suffers from a plague of alcohol abuse and has the most number or rape cases.

Rankings:

Murder: 24
Rape: 1
Robbery: 34
Assault: 5
Burglary: 28
Motor Vehicle Theft: 18

8. Florida

As stated in the TV series CSI: Miami, it’s the combination of beach, babes, and guns.

Rankings:

Murder: 23
Rape: 19
Robbery: 6
Assault: 4
Burglary: 13
Motor Vehicle Theft: 12

9. California

The one piece of good news here is that California’s crime rate has fallen over the last two decades.

Rankings:

Murder: 10
Rape: 38
Robbery: 5
Assault: 17
Burglary: 23
Motor Vehicle Theft: 5

10. Louisiana

It’s tied with Maryland as the state with the highest murder rate. This state also has the second highest number of black homicides.

Rankings:

Murder: 1
Rape: 28
Robbery: 21
Assault: 6
Burglary: 16
Motor Vehicle Theft: 25

11. Michigan

It is said that it is the east side of Michigan that carries out majority of the crimes in the state.

Ranking:

Murder: 16
Rape: 3
Robbery: 18
Assault: 12
Burglary: 22
Motor Vehicle Theft: 10

12. Texas

There was actually a decline in the state’s crime rate for the last decade, but the locals still want to be cautious of crime.

Rankings:

Murder: 14
Rape: 18
Robbery: 9
Assault: 15
Burglary: 8
Motor Vehicle Theft: 15

Source: AOL Money and Finance

1. Opportunity Burglars

The name itself would be explanatory. This is the type of person who just happens to pass by a house that seems empty, and in the event sees a twinkle of jewelry through the window. He sees another jackpot: the door was left open! The urge to take the jewelry takes hold of him. Next thing you know, he looks up and down the street to see of there’s anyone around and creeps slowly towards the house…

And you know what happens next.

If it’s not the front door that’s left open, opportunity burglars can go see if the garage door is open. If out on the street, they see a car that has a windo open or a car door unlocked, then it’s a chance for them.

For this type of burglar, open doors are equal to opportunities, and opportunities are there for their taking.

2. Smashers

This type is messy, and a lot of trouble. Smasher tend to be burglars who are either young and scared or in drug addiction, alcoholism, insanity, and other psychopathic symptoms. Due to the fact that they are either scared or high, they make a run for it after they break in and get what they want.

Smashers are most oftentimes opportunity burglars that act at the spur of the moment. smashers, however, tend to be more unsophisticated in their act of theft. They either kick in a door or smash the windows to get in, take what they want, and make a hurried escape.

3. Prowlers

Prowlers are more dangerous than opportunity burglars and smashers. They are more sophisticated in their work and more professional on their break-in. A Prowler can use a smasher’s style of breaking a window or kicking down a door, but, unlike a smasher, a prowler is in control of his actions and not panic when escaping.

Prowlers are smarter, and way more sly than the average burglar. They know what they want, and they have a way of choosing what they want to take and what not to take. There are others who have criminal connections and can be very deceptive.

These type of burglars can be so clever. They probably know more about where valuables are hidden and which rooms should be ignored when searching. They can ransack the whole place up and down just to get what they want.

Regarding home security systems, prowlers know all about how these alarms and devices work. They would certainly know the normal response time of home security monitoring companies and the authorities. By the time the cops arrive at your house, the prowler had already made an easy escape.

Prowlers often work in teams, too, which is another reason why they can find what they want and make a clean escape so easily. Two people could search for the loot, one could be a lookout, and another might be waiting in car a block away for the getaway. Things go smoothly for them.

The worst kinds of prowlers are those bordering on criminal acts like rape and murder. These prowlers would not care if there was a person in the house they were going to break into. Things can get violent in this situation.

Identity theft is also big with prowlers. You might not find your electronic devices missing when you’ve found your house ransacked. But a look at your open safe with financial documents gone will tell the whole story for you.

4. Pros

Pros are what you would normally see in movies. Professional burglars work in big groups, or rings. Think of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon in the Ocean’s trilogy and you got the picture. There is a very high probability that these pros have contacts in other countries where they can hide their stolen valuables. They may have contacts with big companies that will inform them when to rob a house squeaky clean.

Pros taking over a normal home in the suburbs might not seem possible. Pros would usually prey on big time valuables, like original paintings and artworks, or personal vaults of power people.

Pros are rare. As stated, pros would only prey on very big money.

In addition to home security advices, you should be able to learn how or where to keep your
important stuff safe when a crook would invade your house. Here are some tips :

Bad places to hide things:

- Dresser or lingerie drawers
- Night stands
- Under the mattress
- Medicine cabinets
- Anywhere in the master bedroom, living room, or dining room

Good places to hide things:

- Attic
- Basement
- Children’s’ bedrooms
- Broom closet
- Kitchen

DO’s:
- Arm the alarm even if you are only stepping out for just a few minutes. Experienced thieves snoop neighborhoods and note when people go to work or leave for errands and how long they are likely to be away. They’re ready to break in as soon you are gone.
- Buy non-specific signs that read, ‘This home is protected by an alarm system. As long as it doesn’t give specific information, it can be a good deterrent.
- Store valuables or jewelry you seldom wear in a safety-deposit box. Hide other valuables in places where thieves don’t think to look, like the garage, or above removable ceiling tiles. Or hide valuables in the deep freeze or in diversion safes made for this purpose.

DONT’s:
- Install but not use alarms. Almost every upscale house that is burglarized has some kind of alarm that is not turned on.
- Posting alarm signs that say what alarm company you are using. Thieves can easily buy information on how the systems are hooked up and can easily bypass them.
- Leave lights on. A light that stays on all day and night is no more safe than a home that is dark. Use electric timers that turn on an off lights in different parts of the home at different intervals. Web retailers and home stores sell motion detectors that turn on lamps or appliances if someone comes into the home.
- Conceal valuables in the bedroom. It’s the first place thieves go. Most robbers spend 15 minutes or less in each house.More than half of the time is spent in the bedroom, looking in the normal hiding places, an dresser drawer underneath the mattress closets, etc. Don’t hide all of your valuables in a single spot. A burglar is not likely to get everything if you put things in different areas.
- Bother getting a big dog. A rottweiler or German shepherd might look scary, but thieves don’t care. Most big breeds, unless they’re trained as guard dogs, aren’t barkers. What you want is a “yapper,” a small dog that makes a lot of noise when disturbed.
- Hide windows with landscaping. Tall shrubs give burglars a safe, dark place to force open windows without being seen. Keep bushes trimmed to below window level.

Automatic dial telephones , that can call 911 in speakerphone mode, can be effective in getting police assistance. If a home invader breaks in you may have just a split second to push the 911 direct-dial button on your telephone. If you dial in speakerphone mode the police dispatcher can listen in on what is going on in the room. Every telephone in your home should be programmed with this feature and all family members should be instructed how to make this emergency call. Your home address will automatically pop up on the police dispatcher screen and an officer should be dispatched even if the phone wire is cut. All 911 hang-up calls are supposed to be investigated by the police because of this type of scenario.