Christmas is a time for family, not burglars - By: Security Solutions

It’s that special time of year again where families get together to celebrate all that is good in the world. We eat too much, we drink too much and no doubt will probably spend a little too much on Christmas presents.

Christmas is a time of joy, a time for sharing and a time for giving. But for some it is a time for taking!

Everyone is aware that around Christmas time our homes are full presents some of which are very expensive such as games consoles, cameras, I phones, I pads, new TV’s, jewellery and much more. All this is very tempting for a burglar or thief. The idea of rich pickings which in some cases can be easy to steal can make for a great Christmas for them, but a horrible one for you and your family.

This Christmas take a little time to protect your home from the risk of burglary and have a fabulous Christmas with your children and family members.

Entry points such as doors and windows are the weakest points of your home. If your doors, windows or locks are of poor quality try to have them replaced if you can. New UPVC doors and windows will often offer a high level of security as they will have multi-point locking systems in place which will secure the top, middle and bottom of the opening. Plus the glass will be double glazed which is much stronger than single glazed panes and will offer much better thermal insulation for your home.

If it is not possible to have new windows and doors fitted, make sure that they are as strong as they can be by fitting stronger locks, additional locks or door chains. And it goes without saying; always make sure your windows and doors are kept locked at all times, even if you are at home. Some opportunist thieves will wait until you are distracted, or are wait for you to go upstairs and enter you home and steal whatever they can whilst you are in the house.

Always keep your keys hidden. If a thief gets these it will not only cost you the price what has been stolen, but also the price of having new locks fitted. Even if your keys are out of sight from windows remember to keep them out of sight of the letterbox. Thieves have been known to “fish” for keys through letterboxes. This makes their entrance into a home or office much easier and quieter than normal and it is unlikely your insurance company will pay out if there are no signs of a forced entry. Keeping your keys in a draw, cupboard or even a biscuit tin will reduce the risk of them being found by an intruder if your home is broken into.

Take a walk along your street and make a note of which houses look like they have some form of security or more secure doors and windows than others. The ones which look secure are the ones which burglars will walk past. Is your home one of these? Does your home have a visible burglar alarm on the outside wall? Or some form of lighting for the night which will deter potential intruders?

Burglar alarms are one of the best ways to keep your home secure when it is empty and they needn’t cost the earth these days. Alarm systems can be fitted by a professional or some are designed with DIY in mind. DIY intruder alarms are typically wireless meaning no there are no wires trailing around your home and they do not need to be wired into your home electricity circuit. This makes them easy and quick to install. Plus, having a burglar alarm fitted will give you peace of mind when your home or office is unoccupied.

A cheaper alternative to installing a fully working burglar alarm system is to fit an imitation burglar alarm siren box to an outside wall of your home. Just make sure it is visible to passersby and this will make you home look as though it is protected by an alarm system.

Lighting during the night is yet another way of deterring potential intruders as they normally do not want to be seen breaking and entering a building. This can be in the form of a light near the front and back doors of your home, security floodlights which will illuminate a large area of your garden or driveway when someone walks near them, or spotlights which will light up areas of your garden, not only making them look attractive at night, but also keeping away unwanted attention.

And remember, lighting is just as important inside your home as it is outside. At Christmas many of us leave our homes vacant for hours or even days due to families visiting relatives. Therefore when you go out at night, close your curtains or blinds and turn on a light or two around the home to make it look like someone is home. Or for an even more realistic effect, simply add some timer switches to any lights which are plugged into the wall and set them so they turn on and off at different times of the night, making it look like someone is moving around the house. This doesn’t have to happen lots of times in every room, otherwise it will look like someone is running around turning all the lights on and off all night long which is very strange. Try to make this look natural with only a couple of different lights coming on throughout the evening.

If you are going away on vacation or away visiting your family for a few days, ask a friendly neighbour if they wouldn’t mind opening and closing your curtains to make it look as though somebody is at home.

Moving back to Christmas security, always make sure that gifts are kept out of sight so that potential thieves cannot spot them when they walk past your house and peer through your windows. Plus this will also help to keep your presents a surprise from your children or other half. Obviously, there is one place which is pretty much guaranteed to provide someone with gifts. Under the Christmas tree. If you can, don’t put any gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve as the Christmas tree is the first place a burglar will look at this time of year. If you do want to keep a few gifts under the tree, only keep the less valuable ones here. Keep expensive gifts well hidden until the big day.

The last thing you want, is to wake up on Christmas day to find you have been burgled and your children have no presents to unwrap. It does happen, thieves don’t have much in the way of feelings for others and if there is the chance of making a few quid on Christmas Eve they will.

And remember, it’s not just your home which needs to be well protected, but also your car if you are going to leave gifts in it whilst doing some more shopping. Always keep your car locked and arm your car alarm if you have one fitted. Plus, make sure that any gifts or shopping are kept out of sight – put them in the boot, don’t leave them on the back seat.

This short article is not designed to scare you, but simply to remind you to keep safe, keep your home secure and above all, have a very Merry Christmas from all of us at http://www.solarsecuritysolutions.co.uk!

About the Author

My name is Alastair and I am the owner of http://www.solarsecuritysolutions.co.uk which is an online DIY security website. The site was set up with the intention of encouraging people to conveniently secure their homes themselves without having to pay for expensive trade’s people to do it for them. I add articles here to inform people just how easy it is to secure their home and to pass on helpful tips and advice.

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