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A burglar is a Sim (an NPC in The Sims or The Sims 2), who will sneak onto a lot when all Sims are sleeping, 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 or The Sims 3, burglars can be either male or female. Playable characters can become burglars in The Sims 3. 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 you don't have an alarm, you can call the police, but the police may not arrive in time to stop the burglar from escaping with your Sim's possessions, so it's always a good idea to buy alarms as soon as possible.
In The Sims 2 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 the Robot Crafting Station can craft SentryBots, which are designed to patrol a house and electrocute (and stun, not kill) 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.
In The Sims 3, playable Sims can become burglars, something not possible in previous games. There is also a hidden trait called Burglar: Burglars must perfect their sneaking skills to properly liberate imprisoned items from the homes of neighbors. Burglars like to keep the skill in the family, so their children are able to sneak out like a pro at birth.
A Male burglar in TS3Tips
In all games, it is impossible to enter Build Mode or Buy Mode after a burglar enters your lot. It is important that you properly secure the lot before a burglar arrives.
In The Sims, an easy way to make a house burglar-proof is to build a single wall on both sides of the lot and put a burglar alarm on each; when a burglar enters the lot, the alarms will be set off instantly, resulting in the police being summoned immediately; often before the burglar can even enter the house.
In The Sims 2, burglar alarms cannot be placed outside (except by using the move_objects cheat or by tricking the game), so each room with a door to the outside should have an alarm.
In The Sims 2: Open for Business, if a Sim has a Silver Robotics Badge (or higher), they can craft a SentryBot, which will shock any burglars it comes in contact with.
If you have The Sims 2: Pets installed, and if your Sim is a Werewolf, they can fight the burglar like a cop. The burglar will attempt to run if he loses, but steals items quicker if he wins. This can be a good distraction if you don't think you can win, but the cops are on their way.
In The Sims 3, you can set the burglar free while the police are inspecting your house. If you do this, the cop will give you a stern warning to not set burglars free.
With The Sims 2: Nightlife, a car with an alarm installed can serve as an outdoor alarm, at least if a burglar walks past the car.
