Opportunist thieves are looking forwards to the dark nights, so they can break into homes through the cover of darkness.
Halifax Home Insurance data recorded a total of 2,832 burglary claims over the last winter, with these break-ins typically costing 12% more compared to in the summer and with the average claim costing £1,727.
To reduce the number of winter home security issues and to make life difficult for burglars, Halifax Home Insurance offered the following tips:
- Lock doors and windows, even when the house is occupied
- Lay gravel driveways, as these will enable you to hear an unwelcome intruder’s footsteps
- Security lights will also alert you to people approaching your home
- Prickly bushes, high walls and spiked railings can make a home difficult to break into
- Ladders and other tools can be used to break into homes – keep these items locked away
- Fit a burglar alarm that complies with British Standards, and set this at night and when the home is unoccupied – alarms with a direct link to the police are particularly useful
- Don’t leave keys in any ‘safe places’ such as underneath the doormat or in a flower pot – burglars know of these ‘safe places’ too
- Use a UV pen to mark your property, and etch your postcode into metal items like tools and bicycles, as these markings will help the police to identify you as the owner of the property if it is ever recovered
- Use timer switches on lights when going on holiday, as these will make a home look as if it is still occupied
- Ask a trustworthy friend or neighbour to occasionally check into your home and pick up the post when the house will be unoccupied for a while, as this will make your home look as it is lived in
Halifax Insurance Senior Claims Manager Martyn Foulds said that thieves use the dark outdoors to their advantage over the winter as they “hunt for an easy target”.
Therefore, it is important for people to consider how to improve their home security so they can avoid becoming a burglary victim, he added.
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