Covid-19 saw a drop in the number of home burglaries being committed in the UK, but as the country has opened up once more, these devastating incidents have returned with a vengeance.
Being the victim of burglary is a traumatic experience for all involved but luckily there are plenty of things you can do to deter unwelcome intruders from targeting your home.
According to Police advice, 9 of the best anti-burglar precautions you can take are:
1. Keep valuables hidden
Keeping your valuable items out of sight from windows is an easy but effective way of making your home a less attractive prospect for criminals.
Laptops, tablets, jewellery, and other small but expensive items left lying around are the perfect target for opportunist burglars, and for the sake of a few seconds tidying up, the risk is simply not taking.
The same applies to leaving valuables lying on the back seat of your car whilst parked on the driveway or on the road outside your home where they could easily be spotted by passers-by.
2. Install a gravel driveway
One of the most unusual security measures, investing in a gravel driveway or path will make stealth impossible for burglars, alerting residents that someone is approaching long before they reach your property.
The loud crunching noise produces by gravel close to doorways and accessible windows is much more likely to deter criminals than grass or tarmac that allows a silent approach.
3. Be careful with packaging
Leaving gift boxes, or the boxes from items such as a new TV, outside your home is a tell-tale sign for burglars that there is value to be had inside your home.
Store all boxes well out of sight until you are able to safely dispose of them at your local recycling centre.
4. Lock windows and doors
A huge number of burglaries committed in the UK come as a result of open windows or doors left unlocked whilst no-one is inside the property.
Even when you are at home, keep your doors and windows securely locked when not in use and draw your curtains shut after dark.
5. Install a Burglar Alarm
Around ¾ of UK homes have no burglar alarms in place, a worrying statistic given that they are one of the most effective possible security measures at preventing domestic crime.
Burglar alarms with motion detectors placed near all entry points will give a loud audio warning when triggered causing intruders to make a swift retreat and alerting you and your neighbours to their presence.
Ensure that the alarm box, control panel, and alarm wiring are also well concealed or installed out of reach to prevent intruders disabling or disconnecting your security system before entering.
Also make sure to have your alarm installed by a professional and respected security firm as a faulty alarm may either result in false alarms that lead to neighbours simply ignoring the sound after a while, or the alarm not activating properly in a real emergency.
6. Don’t leave notes
Notes left on your front door such as “leave parcel outside” or “back in 20 minutes” is a bad idea, advertising to burglars that the property is unoccupied, and they have plenty of time to break-in without being disturbed.
7. Buy a safe
A locked safe, especially one bolted to the floor, is a relatively inexpensive way to protect your most precious expensive and sentimental items.
Some of the most important items that many people choose to store in their own personal safe include jewellery, family heirlooms, and photos stored on an external backup hard drive.
8. Don’t forget about outbuildings
Many people concentrate so much on home security, they forget about the expensive equipment and tools stored in garages, sheds, and other outbuildings.
Ensure all your outbuildings are locked at all times and if secure windows and doors cannot be installed, consider storing your most valuable items elsewhere.
If you have a CCTV Security installation Glasgow system in your home you may be able to install an additional camera into your existing circuit, allowing you to remotely monitor activity in your outbuildings if they are not visible from your property.
9. Increase visibility
Hiding your property from view behind tall bushes and fencing may initially appear as a good way to avoid the attention of burglars, but the opposite is actually true.
All this will do is give intruders plenty of hiding spots when entering your property and allow them to approach from the main road without the risk of being seen by passers-by or neighbours.
Instead, you should keep bushes and trees at the front of your home well-manicured and ensure fences are no taller than 1m high.
However, it is a good idea to have taller fencing or hedges at the back and sides of your property to prevent burglars from gaining easy access.