Burglar

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A burglar is a Sim (an NPC in The Sims,The Sims 2 and The Sims 3), who will sneak onto a lot when all Sims are sleeping, or off the lot for some reason, most often during the night, and attempt to steal items from the household. The burglar in The Sims was male, and known only as "Some Sneaky Sim." In The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, burglars can be either male or female. Burglars can steal possessions of any size, and will often steal the most valuable items on the lot. Burglars can be arrested by the police if they are summoned quickly enough - the only way to ensure that the police are called in time is to install burglar alarms. If the lot doesn't have an alarm, Sims can call the police, but the police may not arrive in time to stop the burglar from escaping with the Sim's possessions, so it's always a good idea to buy alarms as soon as possible. In all games, it is impossible to enter build mode or buy mode after a burglar enters the lot, so it is important that players properly secure the lot before a burglar arrives.

The Sims
In The Sims, burglaries are very rare and will most likely only appear if the selected family is wealthy and/or has expensive objects in their home. However, families with little money may also be robbed. The burglar will usually appear at around 3:00AM, and his arrival will be announced by a few bars of intentionally frightening music. The burglar cannot be interacted with in any way, except by the police, and was specifically designed to rob houses while the entire household is asleep. However, on rare occasions, the burglar may arrive on the lot while at least one Sim is awake. If the player tries to wake up a Sim while there is a burglar, it is unlikely that the Sim will wake up, get to a phone, and call the police in time to catch him. Even if the player does this as soon as the burglar appears, it is not certain that the Sim will be able to call the police in time to catch the burglar.

Burglars will steal the closest and most expensive objects they can find. Installing a burglar alarm in the home will not prevent a burglar from entering the lot, however if one happens to do so, the police will arrive and take him away. The police officer will thank the family and will give them a small amount of money for assisting the law. Despite this, the burglar may have already taken one or two items by the time the police officer approaches him. These items will be kept as evidence, and not returned, but the family will be reimbursed for them. Sometimes, a family will be reimbursed for an item that the burglar did not manage to steal.

The Sims 2
In The Sims 2, a burglar who enters a lot will "case" the house and lot, looking for the most expensive items. If the burglar trips an alarm, this may give the police time to respond before the burglar can steal anything.

Some Sims, particularly Fortune Sims, often have "getting something stolen" as a fear. If someone in the household encounters the Burglar, they will often react with fright. When/if the police arrive, the officer will attempt to apprehend the burglar by fighting him/her; if successful, the burglar will surrender, but if the officer is defeated, the burglar will escape. With The Sims 2: Open for Business, Sims with a Silver or Gold Robotics Badge can use the Robot Crafting Station to craft SentryBots, which are designed to patrol a house and electrocute (stunning, not killing) any burglars that may enter until the police can arrive. When a burglar comes onto a lot, all Sims on the lot will have the "Burglar!" memory, even if the burglar is captured.

Something that is useful to have in mind is that, on rare occasions, the player can immediately go to buy mode or build mode if the burglar has just entered the lot and the game has not picked up on it. This can be very helpful if it can be managed, but it is not something that should be counted on. In most games, there will be a little pause right before the burglar arrives. This can also help determine when the burglar is about to arrive.

NPC burglars may appear on community lots, and in The Sims 2: Open for Business, may visit an owned business. While they will likely be dressed as burglars, they may be there to shop, not steal - so don't call the police unless they steal something.

If a house has been robbed, do the Sims a favor, and buy a burglar alarm. On rare occasions, if the burglar gets away, he/she can "tell" the other robbers about the house and more may show up.

Tips

 * Car with an alarm installed can serve as an outdoor alarm. It will go off if a burglar comes within range of it, even if the burglar doesn't walk past the car. Since a car will often be one of the more expensive objects on a lot, a burglar may come within range of the alarm as they "case" the lot.
 * SentryBot will electrocute burglar.
 * Werewolves can fight the burglar like a cop. They will always win.
 * Bigfoot will immediately scare the burglar away. If the burglar bladder level is low, he/she will get a bladder failure.
 * Butler will immediately call the police whenever a burglar is seen.

The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, playable Sims can become burglars, something not possible in previous games. There are two ways for a Sim to burgle other households: they can either have the Kleptomaniac trait which allows them to take 3 items from a property they're visiting at night, or they can become a thief through the Criminal career track. When police are called the burglar will be not be immediately caught. When the police arrives in the lot, the burglar will stop what ever it is doing and will engage in a fight. If the police wins, the burglar is arrested otherwise the burglar will be able escape along with the items that it has stolen.

Though interactions with burglars are still very limited they are now possible in this game. If a Sim has the Brave trait they can "Fight" against the burglar. Winning against the burglar will chase them away but will not help return stolen items.

It is also possible to become friends with burglars if a Sim helps them escape after being handcuffed by a police. Usually after making an arrest, police will often tell the burglar to wait outside the police car while she checks around the house. During this time, a Sim can click on the burglar and an option called "Set Free" will become available. Afterwards, the burglar will become acquainted with the Sim allowing the player to call the burglar to have a chat or invite over to their house during the day when they are not working as burglars.

If a sleeping Sim has the Light Sleeper trait, he or she will wake up immediately if a burglar is present.

There are many ways to counter a burglar in The Sims 3:
 * Call the police.
 * Install a burglar alarm.
 * Have the Brave trait and fight the burglar yourself.
 * Have the Can Apprehend Burglar hidden trait.

Player notes

 * Home owners can set the burglar free while the police are inspecting the house. Afterward, the cop will give the Sim a stern warning to not set burglars free.
 * There is a hidden trait called Burglar.
 * There are also burglars in The Sims 3: World Adventures locations. So set the alarms up at vacation homes too.
 * Burglars will freak out when the alarm goes off.
 * Burglars will immediately retreat at the sight of a mummy in World Adventures.
 * Having a Sim with Good or Coward trait makes Can Apprehend Burglar hidden trait useless.