Top Tips to Avoid Burglary
- Always lock your doors and windows,
even when just popping to the shops (or even when in the
back garden).
- it deadlocks to all outside doors - burglars
hate them because you need a key to open them from the inside
as well as the outside.
- Put key operated locks on all downstairs
or accessible windows - burglars don't like having to smash
windows because of the noise and the danger of cutting themselves.
- Try to make sure your TV and other valuables
can't be seen from your window.
- Don't leave empty boxes of new purchases
outside for burglars to see.
- Use a timer switch to turn lights and radios
on when you are out or away to give the impression that
your house is occupied (as little as £2 each from
DIY shops).
- Install a visible burglar alarm - and turn
it on.
- Restrict access to your back garden by having
a solid fence lockable gate.
The reality of becoming a victim of burglary
in the county is low, with one in every hundred people burgled
in a year. Most burglars do not plan their break-ins, but
seize any opportunities they can. In general, they do not
want to be confronted so they seek out homes which are unoccupied.
Incidents of burglary are traditionally higher
over the winter period. For example, in 2001 there were 1092
burglaries across the county between July and September compared
with 1543 between October and December 2001, a rise of 41%.
Hertfordshire Constabulary gives the following
advice to prevent householders becoming victims of burglary:
- Give your homes the “lived in look” – consider
buying time switches that give the impression that someone
is at home, especially during the winter when the nights
draw in earlier.
- Lock doors and windows – even if
only leaving home for a short time.
- Make sure you have secure doors with good
locks.
- Make sure expensive items are not easily
visible from outside.
- Consider the purchase of an alarm. Visible
burglar alarms may make an offender think twice.
- Look at your garden as a way for burglars
to gain access to your home – keep hedges and shrubs
trimmed to give intruders less cover and remember that
spiky plants can act as ‘green leafed deterrents’ to
stop offenders climbing walls or fences.
- Watch out! Keep an eye out for unusual
callers in your neighbourhood and contact police about
any suspicious incidents, whilst they are taking place.
- Security mark items of property with ultra
violet pens and keep a note of serial numbers. This makes
them more easily identifiable and gives you a greater chance
of getting them back if they are stolen. Also consider
taking photographs of unusual or expensive items to assist
with identification.
For more in-depth advice on the above prevention
measures please visit the following link: www.herts.police.uk/blue_light/home_security.htm
Crime Prevention Officers are available to
offer free advice on home security upon request. They can
be contacted via your local police station.
www.herts.police.uk/contact_database/stations.php
See also:
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