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Burglary Warning: Top five tips to improve security and avoid being targeted at Christmas

Christmas can be a popular time for burglars to strike homes as the nights get longer and days darker. It may be helpful to improve the security of your property by following some simple tips. Burglary is something that many homeowners may fear and can become more likely during Christmas time.

These top five tips will increase security and protect your property;

Christmas Lights:

Keeping your property well lit inside and out can prevent a burglary. However decorative Christmas lights alone are not completely enough to fully illuminate darkness around the house. Motion sensor lights fitted around the outside of property would alert you if someone was moving around your house and acts as a deterrent for burglars who aim to get in and out quickly, unseen.

Keeping Valuables out of sight:

If you keep expensive items away from windows it could reduce the risk of a potential break in as burglars wouldn’t see the item lying around and the property may not interest them.

Although many burglaries are planned or weeks when burglars scout properties before making their move, 47% of burglaries are unplanned. Criminals would spot the valuable items and act in the spur of the moment.

Potential intruders who spot car keys through a window may break in and be gone in seconds before anyone would realise what has happened.

Therefore, it is really important to take extra precautions during the festive period as people leave presents laying under the Christmas tree. It is important to make sure to keep curtains closed unless you’re in the room, which may stop potential intruders from eyeing up your goods. Installing smart doorbells would deter a burglar from chancing their luck therefore stop a burglary from happening, as it would capture their efforts on camera.

It is also important not to leave any receipts or designer labels and packaging visible in your recycling area. These would tell an intruder that there are expensive items inside your house therefore it’s important to separate them into separate recyclable bin bags where possible for added peace of mind.

Cover yourself:

Good home insurance policies add extra protection, especially during Christmas. Some insurance providers increase your cover automatically for a few days around Christmas, however it’s worth checking if this includes your provider. It is good to temporarily increase your policy or add cover for individual items in case the worst happens, during Christmas time.

Keep Lights on:

It is important to not leave your home looking vacant if you are planning to leave home to visit loved ones during Christmas. Leaving lights on in the home can stop potential intruders in their tracks. Leaving the radio or television on can also give the impression that someone is home, therefore may stop intruders from taking action of breaking into a house. If any deliveries are scheduled, you must try to get them rescheduled as if someone passes by and notices a package hasn’t been picked up for hours and sometimes even days, they’ll know that nobody is home. It may also be a good idea to schedule a safe place for your package to be left if you can’t reschedule your delivery.

Home deliveries:

Having home deliveries is something that many homeowners do regularly and there are ways to make the process a lot safer.

Many of us may be shopping for presents or even food online. This means we may be expecting plenty of deliveries, which bring their own security risks such as strangers entering our property. Smart video doorbells put off potential rogue traders from trying their luck on your doorstep, they’re extremely handy for the elderly or even due to the coronavirus pandemic, they’re handy for those who try to socially distance themselves from others; such as delivery drivers.

Video doorbells are extremely handy as they let you speak with those at your door, therefore you can agree or disagree for parcels to be left in a safe space or simply allow you to let the delivery staff know that you are home and sign for receiving the package virtually.

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