Remove the Opportunity - Prevent the Burglary

 

•  REMEMBER - Most burglars will select their target because it offers them the best and easiest opportunity to carry out crime undiscovered and undetected.

•  If you have gates around the outside of your house, 'LOCK THEM', it will again reduce opportunist access.

•  If you have ladders - ensure they are locked and not available to a thief. They will allow easy access to upstairs windows.

•  Any garden tools and implements, which are left in the garden or yard, can be used to help them to force entry.

•  Untrimmed hedges or high fences in gardens can provide cover for criminals and prevent neighbours from keeping watch.

•  Thieves may also take opportunity from those visible signs that nobody is at home. For example;-

•  Milk bottles or parcels left on the doorstep

•  Newspapers and mail protruding through the letter box or visible through glazed front doors

•  Unlit houses after dark and closed curtains during the day

•  All windows shut in very hot weather.

•  Make it look as though your house is occupied and don't advertise your absence.

•  Install automatic switches, use timers which switch lamps or radios on and off, sound is also often a good deterrent.

•  Keep the garden tidy.

•  If you go away on holiday or for periods of time, encourage a neighbour to park on your drive, or directly outside your house.

•  Ensure that you cancel all regular deliveries, but don't announce your departure to a shop-full of people.

•  Don't discuss your holiday plans or lengthy periods away from home within earshot of strangers.

•  When you travel, don't have your home address showing on your luggage for the outward journey.

•  If you are using a taxi service to the airport, arrange for your pickup to be away from your own home address.

•  Consider arranging for a trustworthy house-sitter, who can open and close curtains and blinds, ensuring no visible signs of absence are evident from the outside.