10 Crime prevention tips to protect your property this Christmas...
Christmas brings the busiest shopping weeks of the year and for many people it leads to our homes being stocked with the latest electronic gadgets, jewellery and must-have gifts. Unfortunately, thieves see Christmas differently as your hard-earned gifts are also their increased incentive to commit burglaries!
Deterring would-be criminals is one of the most effective forms of crime prevention. Invest in a motion sensor flood-light or even some outdoor Christmas lights to highlight your home's exterior. This often makes approaching your home too conspicuous for a burglar. Also, highlighting the fact your possessions are security marked and registered on Immobilise using window decals provide a further warning that your goods are traceable and not worth the risk of stealing!
Festive lighting - be secure. A common mistake of many festive decorators is to feed extension cables through partially open windows, criminals know to look for this vulnerability. When it comes to outdoor lighting, opt for solar or battery operated lights or install outdoor electrical outlets.
Dispose of gift packaging carefully. Refuse collections over the Christmas and New Year period are normally at different times. If you can't take packaging to a recycling centre, make sure you only put your rubbish out just before the collection and do your best to break apart/fold boxes inside-out so that they do not advertise the new contents of your home to thieves!
Be careful not to advertise your home to burglars on social media! According to one recent study, social media is a commonly used tool for scouting potential targets. Social media savvy families have a tendency to publish their whereabouts during the holiday season, including any vacation plans. This can let burglars know when your house is going to be empty. Uploaded photos of pricey Christmas gifts can also be a problem as if privacy settings aren't tied down, it can allow burglars to go shopping just by viewing your Facebook profile.
Check doors and windows for weak spots. Government statistics show that 30% of burglaries happen through windows. Installing a few dead-bolts and new window hinges could increase the security of your home exponentially.
Keep your curtains, drapes and window blinds closed at night, making sure valuable items are out of sight. When going out for the evening make use of inexpensive timers to give the illusion of occupancy, you should also consider leaving a radio on or go further and invest in a Fake TV device to emulate the light given of by at television.
Away over Christmas - plan ahead! If you're going away at Christmas be sure to cancel newspaper or milk subscriptions. Arrange for a neighbour to park on the driveway to help create the impression someone is home. Don't leave overly descriptive telephone answering machine messages and again make use of light timers, radios and devices like Fake TV's.
Secure garages and sheds. Make sure that garden tools or ladders that could be used to force entry into your home are not left lying around or accessible from an unlocked garden shed. Garages are often targets for burglars looking for tools, bikes and gardening equipment - make sure the garage is locked and your possessions are secured too in the case of bikes and tools. Naturally make sure that anything portable or valuable is recorded on immobilise.
Don't hide keys and use alarms if you have them. Burglars know to look for hidden door keys so don't hide spare keys under rocks, in flowerpots, or above door ledges. Instead give the spare key to family or trusted neighbour. Many houses these days have alarms, many though are rarely set, make sure yours is on and protecting your home when you are away and overnight where possible.
And lastly, don't forget to register your gifts on Immobilise! Most consumer electricals have a unique identification code such as a serial number or for mobile phones an IMEI number - An IMEI number can be easily found by dialling *#06#. If your gift doesn't have a unique identifier there are several affordable marking kits available from the Immobilise store allowing the police to easily identify the owners of items they recover and so detect crime.
We hope that you find these tips useful and encourage you to share them with your family, friends and colleagues. As always please remain vigilant and report suspicious activity immediately to the police on 999 if a crime is in progress, 101 in a non-emergency or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Fake TV Burglar Deterrent
TV Sim is a new burglar deterrent that makes it look like someone is home watching television.
TV Sim does this by recreating exactly the sort of light produced by a real TV, which when viewed from outside makes it look like somebody must be watching television.
ImmobiMARK Complete Property Marking Kit
Ideal for use with your Immobilise account. You will be able to mark, label and register all your possessions to deter thieves and help the authorities identify and return your property.