With the dark evenings drawing in, the autumnal months are the ideal time to ensure that your home is secure and not vulnerable to intruders or criminals. We’re getting involved with National Home Security Month to give you some helpful tips on how to avoid areas of weakness and keep your home secure.
The darker evenings are a prime opportunity for burglaries and break ins. This is mainly due to the reduced visibility as well as fewer people outside as witnesses due to colder and unpleasant weather. Figures from UK Crime Stats shows a clear trend of burglaries increasing from September to October, and numbers growing even higher from October to November.
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It can take a burglar as little as 60 seconds to gain entry into your home, meaning your quick trip to the shop and leaving the door on the latch is the perfect opportunity for them. 73% of burglars manage to break into a house through a door, with 3% of them where the door has been left open. One in three people admit to leaving their door unlocked when leaving the house. Another risk from leaving your property unsecured is that it can invalidate your house insurance policy if you need to claim after a break in. If the company does not think you have taken reasonable precautions to protect your home, they may refuse to cover your expenses for losses and damage.
Most of us have left home without locking up properly at least once by accident. It can be easily done, especially if you’re in a rush and have to go back for something you forgot. However a great way to prevent this from occurring is to create a routine and do the same checks in a regular order or pattern, ensuring you don’t forget about the windows upstairs or whether the back door is properly locked up.
It is likely that your local police force will be active in your community, raising awareness of the increased risk of burglary and break in during the winter months. They may be outlining their likelihood of neighbourhood patrols and some even carry out workshops and safety surveys of your home to identify points of weakness or entry points for a thief to access.
Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said
“November is often a peak month for burglaries, with criminals taking advantage of the darker nights and hoping to steal the high value goods people may in the lead up to Christmas. Seemingly small measures can really go a long way towards protecting homes, such as timer switches and ensuring that doors and windows have the right protection.”
Some pointers to help secure your property include:
- Are your outdoor and security lights working properly?
- Are there any repairs or weak points in your fencing and gates?
- Are your outbuildings secured with padlocks and alarms?
- Are tools and ladders locked away out of reach?
It can help to think of your home from a burglar’s point of view and evaluate any likely entry points or routes of access into your property. Are there obvious signs that no one is home or present in the property?
Thieves want to be in and out of your home as quickly as possible, without being spotted or challenged by the home owner or neighbours. Bear this in mind and design your security protection to slow them down as well as maximise the likelihood of them being noticed and caught.
If you live in a high risk area or have previously suffered a break in, it may be worthwhile getting expert advice from the professionals at Sec Tech UK. They specialist in personalized security solutions.