Vandalism Season: Why Property Crime Peaks in the Summer

SUMMARY:

• Crime typically increases during summer months, especially in areas with colder winters.
• This increase is influenced by a number of factors, including warmer weather, school summer break, and more situational opportunities. 
• Outdoor security cameras can help by deterring and mitigating property crimes.

People walking dogs. Kids riding bikes. Teens playing basketball.

After a long, cold winter, warm weather draws us outside like the Pied Piper every year, like clockwork. Unfortunately, it’s not just the innocent outdoor activities that pick up in the warmer months. 

Crime increases up to 35% in the summer months, with most of those increases in violent crimes and property crimes (including theft and burglary). While the warmer weather doesn’t actually cause the increase in crime, the correlation between the two has several strong factors behind it. 

Read on for five reasons for the property crime summer spike and the outdoor security camera solution that could help you keep your property secure.

5 Reasons Property Crime Increases in the Summer

1. Warmer Temperatures

Property crime isn’t as much a seasonal issue as it is a temperature-based one. Northern cities (with their cold winters) are the ones experiencing the seasonal crime swings more sharply, while cities with relatively warm winters don’t experience the jump in rates. 

Cold weather typically keeps people indoors and away from the spray paint and stolen property. Car theft seems to be the exception to this rule: Auto theft actually increases when temperatures dip below 10 degrees Fahrenheit—likely because people tend to leave their unoccupied cars running to keep them warm.

Meanwhile, the resurgence of warm weather sees crime rates return with a vengeance. Research shows a strong correlation between warmer weather and higher rates of property crime, which includes both burglary and theft.

Experts speculate that heat waves contribute to the increase in crime by amplifying irritability and violent tendencies—often disproportionately affecting those whose socioeconomic status doesn’t give them an easy way to avoid the heat.

2. Longer Days

It’s easy to assume criminals prefer the cover of night to committing crimes during the day, but studies show that’s not necessarily the case. While violent crimes typically occur more frequently at night, more than half of weekday instances of larceny/theft, simple assaults, and property crimes actually occur in the daylight hours.

Longer days also mean it’s easier to be out of the house for longer stretches of time, something that can lead to trouble depending on the parties involved.

3. No School

With school out for the summer, many teenagers no longer have regularly scheduled activities and sometimes look for less-than-savory ways to fill that gap. 

Teenage boys between the ages of 15 and 17 are most likely to be responsible for vandalism cases. For younger teens, vandalism is often more of a case of exploring something new; for older teens, it’s often a chance to show toughness to friends. Either way, vandalism is typically a response to boredom—something all too common during unsupervised and unstructured summer days.

4. More Time Away From Home

Vacation season is a double-edged sword with more foot traffic in some areas (which leads to more crime) and more houses left empty (which, again, leads to more crime).

While they often don’t have the colder winters, popular destination spots see the same big crime increases as northern cities. Virginia Beach, for instance, had a summer crime increase of 23%, with a good percentage of its annual arrests being people from out of town.

The time away from home doesn’t have to be extreme to make an impact: Simple summer activities like parties involving alcohol (which impairs judgment and lowers inhibitions) can also contribute to the issue.

5. Peak Construction Season

While construction projects certainly can still happen during the colder winter months, they pick up substantially with the warm weather. Already difficult to secure, construction sites are prime targets for both thieves and vandals. The busy summer season often brings larger crews, materials delivered in bulk, and more collaborative chaos in general—all of which make crime that much easier. 

It’s all too easy to lean toward convenience instead of security during construction projects, especially with multiple projects running simultaneously. Simple things like propping open doors or leaving tools left unsecured at the end of the day can result in losses that add up quickly. 

Construction site theft is costly in more ways than one: In addition to up to $1 billion worth of construction equipment stolen annually (with less than a 7% recovery rate), cases of theft and vandalism can significantly delay timelines, cutting profits even further.

Outdoor Security Cameras: Keeping Your Summer Safe

Outdoor security cameras have an MVP role when it comes to crime prevention, something that can make a notable difference during that summer spike. With the right camera capabilities in place—including features like person detection—you can catch would-be criminals before they have time to carry out their misdeeds.

The mere presence of outdoor cameras acts as a crime deterrent, but when combined with motion sensors and remote monitoring capabilities, outdoor security cameras become a powerful tool that allows you to know what’s happening and when. Taken a step further, AI enhancements can even allow you to predict problems and react instantly.

As spaces like parking lots and construction sites lack the infrastructure to readily support outdoor security cameras, mobile surveillance units provide an immediate and flexible solution. Equipped with their own power source and enhanced with an array of advanced features, mobile units like the LVT® Unit can fill the gap in summer security without delay.

Need outdoor security cameras to protect your property? Contact LiveView Technologies® to request a mobile security unit demonstration today.