One of the most common crimes is house break and enters. In many cases this is due to a house having an unlocked window or door.
Security Measures
There is a range of measures you can take to maximise your home security. These methods don’t cost a lot, and can reduce your risk of burglary.
- Make sure all your doors and windows have key-operated locks, and most importantly, remember to use them!
- Don’t place spare keys in obvious places like under the doormat.
- If you have an alarm system, make sure it is working and remember to activate it every time you leave the house. It may seem like a hassle to use it when you’re just popping down to the shops, but is it really worth the risk of getting robbed?
- Get items of value police engraved or microdotted.
- Become acquainted with your neighbours. Make sure you have each other’s phone numbers, and watch each other’s homes for suspicious activity. By being observant, you can reduce prowling and loitering. Report this kind of activity to the police.
- Join the local neighbourhood watch group.
- Make sure your house is secure even when you are at home.
- When hiring a gardener or house cleaner, make sure to check their references for reliability.
- Remove keys from internal doors and windows when you’re not at home.
- If your alarm system is faulty and goes off frequently, get it fixed immediately, and tell the neighbours that there was a fault. People ignore alarms that go off too often.
- Make sure salespeople who ask to enter your home are legitimate. You can do this by calling their office.
- Make it seem like someone’s home when you’re away by leaving a light on or the radio playing. You can use timing devices to add more realism. Turn down the volume on your house phone.
- Keep keys, cash, and valuables out of sight and well hidden.
- Don’t leave a note on the door – this is a dead giveaway that the home is vacant.
- Make sure your house or unit number is clearly visible in case of an emergency.
- Know alternative ways of exiting your house in case you have an intruder.
- Call 000 in an emergency, and have other important numbers on speed dial.
- If your house does get broken into, don’t touch anything so the evidence is not destroyed before the police arrive.
If you do get locked out of your house accidentally, you know you can call Out and About Locksmiths at any time.