Burglaries can happen to anyone no matter how large or small your house is. The best thing you can do is learn to understand why burglaries happen, prevent them from happening and protect your belongings in case a break-in does occur. Following these useful tips could help to protect your home from intrusions and make you more aware of how and why they happen too.
Understanding Why They Happen
Burglaries are not usually a type of crime that are committed out of impulsive behaviour, such as assault. These crimes are usually well thought out and planned for days, weeks or maybe even months so that they aren’t caught.
A lot of the time, despite what people believe, these crimes aren’t committed during the night and are usually between the hours of 9 am-5 pm when people are at work. Sometimes you may be in a rush in the morning but taking those extra 5 minutes to check all of your doors and windows are closed properly, could save your home.
Burglars generally try to avoid breaking into homes where they are going to get caught, so assessing the security of the house is a big part before they break-in. They look out for CCTV, burglar alarms or any other visible security devices that would increase the chances of them getting caught. They also look out for any vulnerable areas that they could use to their advantage.
An area that you may not think about that they could be to their advantage are letterboxes or cat flaps. These allow burglars to stick tools through to reach for keys that are nearby. Burglars try to enter your house in the most unnoticed way possible, so if they can get their hands on a pair of keys, it would be the perfect scenario for them.
How To Prevent Burglaries
Install security lighting that detects movement so that they can’t go unnoticed in the darkness.
Installing visible security devices such as CCTV and burglar alarms can prove to be a great deterrent.
Keep keys away from doors or windows and as out of sight as possible.
Ensure you have high-quality locks on all your doors and windows. (British standard approved locks are great options)
Lock all your doors and windows before going to bed and whenever you are leaving the house.
Leave any valuables out of sight from any windows.
Don’t leave any ladders or tools out in the garden that could help someone gain access to your home.
Don’t have spare keys lying around, this would make it so easy for a burglar to enter the property and they probably won’t be that hard to find.
Use indoor lights with random timers or keep the TV turned on to create the illusion that you are home.
Although this isn’t an option for everyone, a loud barking dog was said to be the second-best deterrent for burglaries.
How To Protect Your Possessions
So maybe worst came to worst and a break-in did occur, you need to be prepared and make sure that the intruder leaves with as little expensive items as possible. There are certain things you can do to make sure that your most valuable items are kept safe.
For valuables that you don’t use regularly, you can hide these in the loft. Burglars don’t want to go into areas of the home where they can’t escape quickly.
Valuables that are used regularly can be hidden in a safe and would be even better if this safe was attached to the floor or wall.
Keep your car keys somewhere that isn’t obvious so that someone wouldn’t find them if they were in a rush
For computers that can’t be hidden away like a laptop, computer locks are a good option. These work in the same sort of way as a bike lock, ensuring on end is attached to the computer and the other is attached to something solid that can’t be moved. These can only be unlocked with a code or key, burglars won’t expect this and probably won’t have the time or equipment to remove it.
Contact Us Today
If you are worried about the safety of your home, at Access Control Solutions, we have many different systems that can help. Just give us a call on 0116 236 6044 to find out more or to get some friendly advice.
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