Taking just a few steps can make a big difference in keeping your home safe from burglary. Here are a few tips:
- In most burglaries, the criminals broke into the house or flat through the door, either by forcing the lock or kicking it in. So make sure your doors are strong and secure.
- If you’re not sure who is at your door, don’t open it.
- Lock your doors and windows every time you leave the house.
- Install a visual burglar alarm (as part of a suite of prevention measures – a burglar alarm on its own will not prevent entry to your home).
- Install good outside lighting.
- Get a trusted neighbor to keep an eye on your property.
- Leave radios or lights in your house on a timer to make the property appear occupied.
- Make sure all the fences around your property are in good condition.
- Secure bikes at home by locking them to an immovable object inside a locked shed or garage.
- Keep ladders and tools stored away; don’t leave them outside where they could be used to break into your home.
- Ensure side gates are locked to prevent access to the rear of the property.
- Improve natural surveillance at the front of your property i.e. trim high hedges.
- Remove valuables from view of ground floor windows.
- Store any high value items (i.e. jewellery, passports) in a properly secured safe or bank vault.
Especially when going away on holiday, make your home look like someone is living in it to prevent a burglary:
- Use automatic timer-switches to turn your lights and radios on when it goes dark.
- Trusted neighbours may be able to help you by collecting your post, opening and closing curtains and they could park their car on your driveway.
- Avoid discussing holiday plans on public social networking sites – burglars can use any information you post on there to their advantage.
Citation: www.police.uk
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