More burglaries are happening overnight: Do you go to bed without switching your alarm on?

According to the latest data, more burglaries are happening overnight. This new information highlights the importance of home security at bed time. Do you go to bed without switching your house alarm system on?

More Burglaries Overnight Than During The Day

According to data released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in March 2026, a greater proportion of burglaries took place in the evening and overnight in the year ending March 2025 compared with the previous year.The most recent data shows 70% of burglaries took place in the evening or overnight. 30% took place during the day. This is a statistically significant shift from a 60/40 split in the year ending March 2024.

When do most burglaries occur?

The data is further broken down to early evening (6-10pm), late evening (10pm – midnight) and night (midnight – 6am). This is where the data breakdown is useful.

Of course there are always some burglaries where time frames cannot be narrowed down. Those which took place during the evening or night account for 5% of burglaries during the period in question. A further 5% are during the day but unsure if morning or afternoon.

Attempted burglaries are more common during the night (66%). Those with entry are even more likely to happen at night (74%).

Of the burglaries that took place over the 12 month period ending March 2025, someone was at home 63% of the time. With such a large proportion of burglaries happening at night, it makes sense that often the person at home would be in bed.

How can you protect your home from overnight burglaries?

If the idea of someone getting into your house at night whilst you’re asleep creeps you out you’re not alone. There is a really simple, quick, easy thing that you can do to prevent this situation; arm your house alarm at bedtime.

When you’re going to bed, make sure you check all your doors are locked and all windows are secured. And then, switch your house alarm on. A home intruder alarm is an excellent deterrent. 83% of burglars said they would check a home for a security system. 3 in 5 would look for an alternative target if a home had an alarm system in place. So just having a decent looking alarm box on the wall outside can be enough to help you avoid becoming a victim of burglary. But switching the system on takes care of those brazen enough to try.

Bed time setting

Home security systems can be configured to provide a ‘bedtime setting’. This arms areas of the house you won’t be accessing at night; the kitchen, the front door, the lounge, the garage. It can be adjusted to suit your particular set up at home. At the same time you’re able to access key rooms that you will use at night without activating the alarm. This is usually the bedroom, bathroom and any hallway or landing area you’d need to cross between these rooms. As we said, this can be programmed in a way that works for you.

The alarm can be switched on from the main keypad, an upstairs keypad or fob reader. It can even be armed using the app on your phone when you’re laid in bed. The app can notify you of an activation if you’re away from home. If you’re at home, the ringing alarm will be enough to warn you – and alert your neighbours – and send any intruders scarpering!

Keybury Fire and Security are home security specialists. Our family business have been designing and installing intruder alarms and CCTV systems in homes across Yorkshire and Lancashire for over four decades. We’re NSI GOLD Certified, insurance approved and police compliant. It’s our family business to protect your family and your business. Schedule your free of charge survey with us today. Book online or contact us directly on 01535 661197 or sales@keybury.co.uk.