A secure home will reduce the chance of you getting burgled. Many domestic burglaries are committed by opportunists ; criminals will look for homes that have little or no obvious security, have doors or windows left open or seem unoccupied.
Listed below are some top tips to help keep your home safe from thieves:
- Installing an alarm system will help to deter burglars.
- Ensure you have a robust, secure front door with British Standard approved locks and hinges. See the link in Related Information for detailed guidance from the Master Locksmiths Association.
- Install outside lighting, such as motion sensor lights so that intruders cannot approach without being seen.
- Lock your doors and windows every time you leave the house, even when you are just out in the garden.
- Consider installing CCTV, as this is good deterrent for thieves and if you are targeted, CCTV can provide valuable evidence.
- When you go out, leave radios or lights in your house on a timer to make the property appear occupied.
- Keep hedges and walls at the front of your house low (under one metre) so burglars have nowhere to hide.
- Keep side and rear boundaries high and add trellis or prickly defensive planting to make it harder for burglars to climb over.
- If you have a sliding patio door, check it has an anti-lift device fitted so it can't be lifted out of the frame.
- Move bins or garden furniture that could be used to reach windows.
- Ensure communal doors in flats / apartments are closed and secure and report any faults to your landlord.
- Never buzz anyone in to the building that you do not know or let them follow behind you.
- Lock and secure any sheds and outbuildings .
- Property mark and register valuable items. See Related Information for details.
