59% of burglaries occur whilst the victim is home, and this statistic is rising every year. Therefore it is equally important to lock up your home whilst you are in it. Not only at night, but during the day when you may be gardening or having a nap, burglars will seize any opportunity to slip in and out of a property. Any downstairs windows left open at night are a prime target for burglars so try and get into the habit of checking every night before bed.
2: Don’t hide spare keys. It is common knowledge that most people will hide a spare key somewhere in their garden, and for this reason most burglars will not hesitate to hunt it down. You may think you have found a genius hiding place, however, serial burglars will have had a lot of experience with finding spare keys and may very well find it. Giving a trustworthy neighbour, close-by friend, or relative a copy of your key is a good alternative for this problem.
4: Keep Keys out of sight. Many homes will keep their keys on hooks or a table near the front door, which is handy for remembering them BUT also provide another opportunity for burglars. There are tools on the market which can enable burglars to reach through letter boxes or pet doors to access your keys, once again allowing for an unforced entry. Try using a closed box, or using a different location to store your keys, or a letterbox with brushes that can make it hard for prying eyes to see what’s on the other side of your door.
5: Outside lighting. Motion activated lighting for your garden can be a great deterrent for burglars as a sudden bright light illuminating their every move will make them very exposed. When purchasing lighting, consider the areas most vulnerable, hopefully paired with a window you can easily look through to check. Also different lights have different ranges of sensitivity, meaning that if you have a big garden you will need a more powerful sensor. Make sure to research before buying.
7: Use British Standard Approved locks. Most insurance companies will be reluctant to pay out after a burglary if you are not using BSA locks. This is because there are locks out there which made from cheap materials and are easily broken or unlocked, compromising your home security immediately. Give your house the best protection possible by always buying reliable, trustworthy brands.
9: Light Timers. If you are on holiday or out of the house for a prolonged amount of time, it can become obvious to regular passersby that your house is unoccupied. To combat this there are several plug in timers available which can activate your lights on a timer, turning them on or off, to make it look like someone is in. There are also several inventive products like a FakeTV Burglar Deterrent Device which when turned on, uses flickering lights to simulate a television from behind closed curtains. This also works on a timer so you can set it to work just in the evenings.
Hopefully you have found these tips useful, home security requires constant maintenance and one unlocked door can change everything. If you are unsure about your home, our locksmiths are available for a security survey 24/7, please do not hesitate to call 0800 0612 677 or visit lockrite.org to find an expert in your area.