The idea of home security is one that can seem slightly isolating. The connotations are of defensiveness, of thinking solely about yourself and your family, and treating others with suspicion. Yet this doesn’t have to be the case at all. Actually, teaming up with members of your community might make you all safer.
Awareness is an important starting point. Keep your eyes peeled for suspicious activity in the vicinity of you and your neighbour’s homes, such as an individual or vehicle that may be hovering around the area, or a mysterious repeat return. Be confident in reporting the matter if you feel something’s wrong: a mistake’s better than a burglary.
If you speak to any cold callers on your doorstep – which you shouldn’t do if you feel in any way unsure about how you should be protecting yourself in that situation – it’s really important to think about your neighbours. Don’t tell the individual not to knock on the next door because they’re away on holiday, as you might be making them a target.
Speaking of holidays, your neighbours can be helpful in ensuring that your property is secure even when you’re away. Two giveaways that you are away are leaflets sticking out the letterbox, and no car being at the property. Ask a trusted neighbour with multiple cars to park one on your driveway for the duration of your holiday and ask them to take or push through leaflets.
If you’re a resident of a multi-occupancy dwelling or a block of flats then it’s crucial to consider others. If someone wants to enter a building by buzzing and you don’t know them, don’t let them in. Similarly, if you’re in a house and an unfamiliar friend of a housemate knocks, call the housemate down to the door. In flats, beware of people tailgating into the building – this is common, but you should be wary.
Technology developers have also developed security technology that is enhanced by the use of others. The way they work is that, upon detecting an unwanted presence in a property, these devices will send a notification to the owner and to the individuals selected by them to receive messages. As it’s an up and coming area, most of these devices are only available to import.
Those smart systems are useful as part of securing your home, but most importantly is that, as a community, you all put effort into well-rounded security measures. If all the properties in a street or cul-de-sac look defended, then a burglar will be likely to move on. But, if there’s a weak link, then that property is bound to find itself targeted. A good place to start with advice on security measures is here.
Much of the advice so far is benefited by being close to your neighbours. Joining the Neighbourhood Watch would help, but so would getting to know your neighbours. If neighbours all shared each other’s mobile and home phone numbers, suspicious activity could be reported straight away.
The starting point for security for any member of the community is making sure that they have British Standard insurance approved locks, and speaking to a specialist to ensure that their house is fitted with suitable locks. We can provide a security survey for you where we can check this and advise you on your home security.
Call 0800 0612 677 for a free, no obligation quote for a survey.
