Massachusetts residents aren't immune from home break-ins and burglaries. I know this from personal experience. When I was a kid my family and I went on vacation for about a week and when we returned home we found a broken window between our porch and laundry room as someone had broken into our house in North Adams. I had a friend from Westfield who was a victim of a home break-in as well.

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The break-in that occurred at my home wasn't very severe but it definitely spooked us. As my family entered the house and started surveying the rooms, drawers, and closets we discovered that my paper route money, batteries, my father's half/silver dollar collection, and a few of my mother's jewelry items were stolen. The stolen items didn't amount to much but as I mentioned earlier the fact that our house was burglarized and broken into really shook us up particularly my mother to the point where she had a security system installed in our home.

How Often Do Robberies Occur and What are the Most Common Stolen Items? 

According to safehome.org, the FBI reported a robbery every 2 minutes, a burglary offense every 28.3 seconds, and a larceny theft (like pickpocketing or purse snatching) every 6.2 seconds. According to the site, besides miscellaneous valuables, the most common stolen items across 26 states were jewelry and precious metals.

What are the Most Stolen Items From Homes in Massachusetts? 

Massachusetts is one of four states where thieves have targeted diamonds, gold, silver, and other jewelry more than almost anything else from residents' homes.

Other Common Stolen Items Among Multiple States Including Massachusetts

In addition to jewelry, other items that thieves target include money, clothing, office equipment, televisions/stereo equipment, consumable goods, firearms, household goods, and livestock.

While I'm not saying that you have to run right out and purchase a security system I am saying that at the very least it's a good idea to keep your home locked up. If you are going to be away for a substantial amount of time you may want to consider having a neighbor, friend, or loved one keep an eye on your house while you're away.

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