Summer Holiday Security Measures
May 24th, 2011 | 
Author: Going on a holiday? Make sure your home is protected.
Summer has somehow managed to sneak up on us again, signalling for many of us the arrival of a well earned break. Whether you are jetting off to an exotic island or packing up the kids and heading to see friends and family; your primary focus at this time is never usually home security.
This unfortunately is why the summer holiday period is one of the most prolific for house burglaries. In the UK last year there was a 14% increase in the number of reported burglaries. It is pretty obvious that burglars these days are employing cunning techniques when it comes to scouting potential target homes. You should always be on your guard and try to adhere to as many of the tips we outline below as possible:
Take valuables off show.
We all now have gadgets and gizmos scattered throughout the home, some being highly valuable; most burglars will assume that too. However why give them additional motivation to break-in by putting them on display. Move expensive T.Vs, computers, video games etc upstairs and importantly out of sight. It is thought that 18% of households have over $3000 worth of equipment on display from their front windows, make sure you don’t add to this percentage.
Delay putting tags on your bags.
If you were a burglar and wanted to know exactly who was going on holiday, where would you go? The airport would be a pretty solid choice. So by putting address tags on your holiday bags, you are telling burglars exactly which homes are going to be vacant as the family is away skiing. If you want to put address labels on your bags, make sure you do it at the check-in counter.
Put lights/radio on timers.
I know it is pretty obvious, but lights and noise are pretty clear indicators that someone is home. Even if a burglar suspects you might be away, at least the implementation of these devices will make them question their choice of property.
Even if you are in lock your doors.
Apparently one in ten of us only lock their doors at night…Gone are the days when burglars wait till the sun goes down to move in…It can be assumed that the majority will either be opportunist or will have carefully selected your house based on a number of factors (both of which are aided by the door being open). Leaving the door open also increases the likelihood that you will be in when the burglary takes place, which is obviously a terrible situation. Lock the door, even if you are in.
Talk to your neighbours.
I know, it’s not always top of your agenda and you don’t always vote for the same party. However, having as many extra sets of eyes watching your property as possible will greatly reduce your chances of being targeted for a burglary. So go and have a word with your neighbour; you never know, you might even actually get on.
Cancel deliveries.
Nothing shouts ‘off on holiday’ like a build up of newspapers or a load of deliveries pilling up on your front porch. If you can, cancel any you know will arrive whilst you are away. If you can’t be sure you will catch every one, talk to a friend or neighbour and see if they will check on the house every morning.
Don’t talk or post about your holiday plans.
As I mentioned before burglars aren’t usually your stereotypical masked bandits, most will actually live and work around you. It is for this reason that you shouldn’t openly discuss your plans in public, as all you are doing is potentially informing them of your planned absence. It is also worth noting that with the pick-up of social media platforms care should be taken not to tweet or post publically about holidays or prolonged trips. Anyone can search Twitter or Facebook for status updates etc. Be careful and think about where and what you are saying.
These tips on home security were written by Yale composite doors UK. Yale’s composite front doors UK adhere to the strictest security levels laid out by the ‘secured by design’ police initiative.
Posted in Your Home