Burglaries are far more common than you’d think and often family homes, due to the sheer amount of electronics, jewelry and even expensive appliances, are often the first to be targeted. So the question you need to ask yourself, honestly, is: do you think your house is safe?
Do You Leave Spare Keys Lying Around?
One of the most common mistakes homeowners make is leaving a spare set of house keys under an easily identifiable rock, or worse in the glove compartment of your car parked outside. If burglars have been casing or watching your house for a while, all they need to do is note down where in the garden the spare key’s kept. An ex-burglar even confessed that he’d pick cars at random and at least half the time he’d find house keys somewhere in the vehicle. Another easy mistake to make is to leave a set of keys on the entry table; all a burglar needs to do is grab a stick or bring a lightweight hook pole and ‘fish’ through the letterbox. (I’m totally guilty of leaving my keys here).
Do You The Keep Lights Off?
This common trick that many of us use to fool passers by that we’re home actually makes burglars lives even easier. Because so many people leave one light on, the curtains ajar or even the television blaring away, it becomes pretty obvious who’s not home. The best way to avoid being burgled is not to attract any attention whatsoever. Leave all lights off and keep curtains open as it’s much more normal to have them open at night than closed in the day time.
Chuck That Cheap Security System
Lots of us think that if we have something that basically looks, and sounds the part that it’s good enough but why take the risk? Cheap security systems can easily develop faults, fail to pick up the vibrations of an intruder or fail you in a real emergency. Speak to a Home security expert about installing a proper alarm system that has safe words, unlocking codes and an automatic line to all emergency services just in case it’s not possible to reach the phone. Certain alarm companies also have a set system so if they receive no answer, or an incorrect answer to your preset security question they’ll automatically call the police for you.
Invest In CCTV
Want to deter a burglar or opportunistic thief? Simply rig up a set of cameras and depending on where you live they don’t even need to be that big. Even the mere thought of having their imaged captured and sent to the police is enough to deter most burglars, and they’ll quickly cross your house off their list. If you do want to buy yourself a working CCTV set-up, make sure that all exits and entrances of your home are watched and that nothing’s blocking the camera lenses.
Don’t Tell Everyone You’re Away
You might be dying to show everyone what an amazing time you’re having but that’s also key information that can be used by a burglar. The best way to avoid being targeted is to keep all holiday pictures off social media until you return home, as burglars frequently use Facebook and Instagram to pinpoint which families are, in fact, away.
- pictures of open passports
- boarding pass photos
- mentions that you are gone and that nobody is home
- mentions that your animals will miss you (implying they are home alone)
