Deter Opportunist Thieves This Summer

For many of us the school summer holidays provide opportunity to spend quality time together as a family. With exciting trips and activities planned, family homes can be left unattended for longer periods than usual. Coupled with the fact that opportunist thieves are also active during warm weather, looking for opened and unlocked windows, the importance of home security over the summer months should never be overlooked.

Precious family time should not be spoilt by opportunist thieves. To help keep homes safe and secure this summer, we have 5 Top Tips that we urge everyone to consider.

Our Top Tips for Home Security Over Summer

#1 Don’t Advertise
Be cautious when sharing holiday plans and photos across social media. You may be sharing with family and friends but, unfortunately, they can reach a wider audience than intended and make your home vulnerable. Instead, why not share your holiday memories when you’re back home?

#2 Lights On
An occupied home is less likely to be targeted by opportunist thieves. To make it look like someone is at home whilst you’re away on holiday, remember to leave your curtains and blinds opened and put lights on via a timer switch. Lighting can now also be controlled by home management systems via mobile device applications.

#3 Keep It To Yourself
Because we are conscious of the cost of calls when abroad, many of us change answerphone messages to let people know we are away. The problem with this is that you will have no idea of who is calling, so its best to avoid changing answerphone messages; no one who calls you needs to know that your home is unoccupied.

#4 Stay Protected
According to a National Crime Survey only 31% of households in England and Wales have a burglar alarm. And, in the year ending March 2016, 59% of incidents of theft from the home were on properties with no, or less than basic, home security.

Before you go away on holiday, think about your existing security provisions. Burglar alarms and CCTV are proven crime deterrents, but how effective is an alarm that just sounds or a CCTV camera that just records? Consider who can respond to any security system activation whilst you’re away on holiday and if no one is available, talk to your local security provider about an accredited security monitoring service to NSI Gold standards.

#5 Lock Up Your Tools
In a recent survey by Direct Line Insurance it was found that successful criminals are most likely to enter through the front of a property (47%). Don’t make it easy for opportunist thieves; before you go away on holiday, lock away all garden and DIY tools to ensure that they can’t be used to gain entry into your home. Also, think about where your ladders are stored and make sure that they are removed from sight.

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