Top tips for keeping your home safe
Burglary is both financially and emotionally devastating for you and your family.
As the nights get darker, burglaries increase by around 20 per cent, so it’s important to make sure your home security is up to scratch.
Burglars look for small and easy items to carry, ideally cash or items that can be sold on.
Burglars look for opportunities and weaknesses in security. Here is our list of the most common security mistakes:
Like a shop front, open windows advertise gadgets that are left lying around.
Keys left under plant pots provide a convenient way to enter a home for everybody, not just family and friends.
Posting your whereabouts on social media effectively advertises your absence to a potential burglar.
Windows and doors are often left unlocked.
Keys are left in the door giving the opportunity for a bugler to fish for them through the letterbox.
Valuables stored in obvious places where a burglar is likely to look first, such as under the bed or bedside drawer.
Tools such as ladders left outside the property can be used to get inside the house.
Letters and bills simply discarded in the bin can be used
to steal you identity.
Neighbourhood watch schemes create a local community of people who will keep an eye on each other’s property, working together with the police to build safe and friendly communities. Neighbourhood watch stickers also act as a visual deterrent.
A Home safe is the most assured way to guarantee important items are safe, even in the event of a break in.
It’s important to make sure it’s bolted to the floor to prevent somebody from taking off with it.
An alarm will act as a visual deterrent to burglars and will alert you or neighbours when activated. It’s also worth turning the alarm on while asleep as 57 per cent of burglaries happen whilst people are at home.
Fitting window and door locks that comply with BS:3621 are essential when trying to deter a burglar. Statistics show that 73 per cent of burglaries gained entry via the door.
Shred all letters and bills before putting them in the bin to prevent identity theft.
Adding security cameras and security lights also act as a deterrent to intruders.
Imagine you are locked out of your property, how would you get in? A burglar will assess the situation in exactly the same way. Make sure you are one step ahead.
Keys left under plant pots provide a convenient way to enter a home for everybody, not just family and friends