Advice on House Security - By: Tauqeer Hassan

Protecting your home against a professional burglar is very difficult, and if you often have a lot of jewellery, small valuables or money in your home it may be worth investing in a safe or burglar alarm as well as good locks. But most burglaries are carried out by opportunists who are likely to be deterred by even a modest show of security in particularly vulnerable places. Burglars often gel in through ground-tloor windows - by breaking the glass and reaching in to undo the catch. Specific details of locks, bolts and catches recommended for doors and windows are given later, but first some general advice.

Basic precautions
If you have to leave your house empty, following the pre¬cautions listed below may further deter burglars.

When you are going out
• always lock up all external doors, windows and fanlights
• take keys out of locks and put them somewhere else (this can make it more difficult for a thief to plan an escape route if he has forced his way in). In particular, do not leave a key under the doormat or hanging by a string inside the letter-flap
• in the evening, leave lights on - preferably not just in the hall or bathroom. Close the curtains. An automatic time switch can be fitted to lights. Leaving a radio on can help too
• keep TV sets and videos out of sight
• a dog may deter thieves if possible, do not lock him up in one room. Fit dog or cat flaps away from any locks or bolts.
When you are away for some time
• do not let everyone know that you are going to leave the house empty, but do tell the police
• stop all deliveries in advance particularly milk and news¬papers and ask a neighbour to make sure letters and free newspapers are properly pushed through the letter-flap (temporarily remove any internal letter-boxes or baskets)
• do not close the curtains
• try to arrange for a neighbour to come in occasionally and switch lights on and off in the evening - and to mow the lawn!
• lock up and do not leave any windows open
• take all valuables to the bank.

When you buy a house
On moving to a new home, find out whether any of its locks have registered keys. If so, it is worth asking the lock company if they know how many keys have been issued so that you can make sure that they are all accounted for. If not, change the lock. A lock on a final exit door (the last door to be locked as the house is left normally the front door) which docs not have registered keys should be changed too. Also check whether there is a Neighbourhood Watch scheme operating in your area which you can join.

Further advice on how to secure a house most effectively against burglars can be obtained from various sources.

Crime Prevention Officer (CPO) Part of the police service and can be contacted through your local police station (not every police station has a CPO permanently attached but they can arrange for one to help). A CPO will be prepared to come to look at your house and give free advice on improving security and may know about particular local risks. The police may lend property marking kits to Neighbourhood Watch groups, but you can buy most of the implements separately.

Insurance company
All insurance companies have their own burglary insurance surveyors who will assess houses and valu¬ables for insurance purposes. They may be prepared to advise on security, particularly if you have a lot of valuables.

Locksmith
A specialist shop selling locks may have a locksmith. Many belong to the Master Locksmiths' Association.

National Supervisory Council for Intruder Alarms
This is an inspectorate of burglar alarm systems installed to BS 4737 by approved installers. They have a list of NSCIA approved installers available.

British Security Industry Association
A trade association which can help with names and addresses of lock manufacturers, burglar alarm companies and so on.

About the Author

You should also know how to secure windows and it is also your responsibility to know how to keep your children away from bad company.

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