“It’s better to be alone than in bad company” - Virtual reality comparison of solo and paired burglars

Most criminological research perceives crime through the lens of a single victim and a single offender perspective. In reality, law enforcement organisations recognise that crime, and particularly burglary, is commonly committed in pairs or groups. This study describes the development and testing of a methodology to examine differences in the performance and success of burglaries performed either solo or in duos. We also explore how an accomplice impacted risk perception. Furthermore, we investigated how participants’ HEXACO personality scores affected duo burglaries. In a virtual reality experiment, 67 student duos and 61 solo students burgled an identical house. In total, duos stole more items, gained higher monetary value, and took more time for the burglary. The presence of a partner did not influence perceived risk of getting caught. However, for duos, an extraverted individual perceived decreased risk when with a partner compared to less extraverted individuals. This study showcases important differences in the approach of solo and duo offenders committing a simulated burglary. Given that duos spent more time on the burglary but per offender gained less, this could signal that duos willingly take more risks even though this does not necessarily profit the offenders. Future research should replicate this study with incarcerated offenders to extend findings to experienced burglars.