Police agencies often fail to publicize information about crime patterns and new burglary trends for fear of educating the criminal element. Unfortunately, when police become aware of a crime trend, the practice is probably already well entrenched in the criminal fraternity. Perhaps educating the public would give the public guidance and help business owners avoid becoming victims. What really discourages burglars is not an alarm, but witnesses to the crime. A witness, unlike an alarm, can verify a criminal act and supply accurate information to police, increasing the chances of apprehension.
Facts support the effectiveness of witnesses in burglary prevention.
Most commercial burglaries happen at night when employees are at home. By protecting premises with a standard, monitored alarm system, business owners do not increase the chance of a witness detecting the act. To combat crime, security professionals need to reexamine how alarms are applied, and how they might be used to interface with an overall security system. To understand how this might work, note the following simplified example. Two doorways forming a small vestibule exist in many businesses.