Summer means fun for everyone, including burglars!
Summertime is as popular as the Christmas holiday for home burglaries. In fact, the average number of home invasions in the UK is 12 percent higher in August than it was in July!
Here are MTS Security’s summer security tips, so you can prevent thieves from raining on your summer holiday parade!
It’s not JUST the home you need to worry about!
Before we dive into our tips, it’s important for you to understand that home security encompasses more than just locking doors and drawing the curtains when you go out. You must first start with defending the perimeter of your home.
May sound dramatic, but thieves are after easy pickings. If your back garden is easy to access and your side gates are a piece of cake to smash open, your home is vulnerable…
Your expertly picked summer security tips
1. Close and lock all doors and windows while out
It’s not just the front door that can invite a burglar into your home. Summer weather means open windows. Be honest, have you ever left the house with the window open to “let the fresh air in” or “stop it from being roasting hot when we get home”…?
Burglars look for unlocked points of entry because those are the easiest ways to get into an empty home! The hard work has been stripped away!
2. Clear away screens
Shrubs and trees that obscure the front of a home will also obscure the burglar as he enters it. Trim back foliage so that you can easily see your front doors and windows from the street. Thieves will walk by rather than risk being seen trying to enter.
3. Install a deadbolt
Deadbolts offer a secondary barrier that thieves must penetrate, which takes up time they don’t want to waste. Put deadbolts on all exterior doors (including the back and side doors) and be sure that they are apparent from the outside.
Thieves will see that extra layer of protection and choose an easier house to rob.
4. Keep valuables out of sight
Most people don’t realise that leaving one’s wallet or handbag on the front hall table can signal an easy grab for a thief if it’s visible through the front window. Keys, electronics and other valuables should be hidden away from windows.
6. Security systems to make them think twice!
Burglars look for the fastest entry into the least protected house, so they eliminate homes as options when they see obvious signs of security systems.
Home alarm system – a well maintained, professionally installed alarm system will certainly make a burglar think twice. And, yes, burglars these days can tell the difference between a professionally installed alarm, vs a cheap ‘off the shelf’ kit!
CCTV cameras – If the home alarm wasn’t enough, CCTV will stop a burglar in his tracks! The risk of getting his face caught on a recording, to later be used against him in court is enough to make him run for the hills!
7. Install motion-detection lighting
An oldie but a goodie! Today’s motion detector technology is relatively inexpensive but offers a great deterrent. When set up around the perimeter of your home, these bright lights will come on whenever something crosses their sensor path.
It might not stop the pesky foxes who like to rip open your rubbish bags, but burglars will avoid the lights at all cost!
8. Be safe away from home, too
Social media is great for keeping friends and families connected, but it can also provide information and opportunity to thieves. Don’t post photos while you’re away; doing so tells would-be crooks that you’re not home and that the house is likely to be empty and waiting.
Be safe, not sorry – wait until you get home before you post your pictures and videos.
STOP BURGLARS IN THEIR TRACKS WITH YOUR HOME SECURITY CHECKLIST!
The Experts at MTS Security have put together a 3 part home security checklist that covers your front garden, back garden and house. Click the button below to download it and ensure your home and family are protected from the bad guys.
