You might think that if your home is in a nice area on a quiet street, you are unlikely to become the victim of burglary. This confidence is misplaced, however – burglars consider nice neighbourhoods as lucrative targets, as these areas often contain expensive cars and easy-to-sell valuables, and lack the hustle-and-bustle that burglars hate.
Therefore, you ought to invest in home security, regardless of how comfortable and crime-free you think your postcode is. Some security features, such as Neighbourhood Watch stickers, do not appear to have any substantial effect on a home’s likelihood of being burgled, but there are a lot of features that can make your house less of a target.
As most burglaries are crimes of opportunity, a few small additions to your home can make a big difference to your likelihood of being burgled. We’ve looked into some of the most commonplace and successful.
A pet dog
In a burglar’s mind, a dog is like a burglar alarm with sharp teeth and the ability to chase them. Although pet dogs are not foolproof, even a ‘beware of the dog’ sign and a Yorkshire Terrier could be enough to dissuade all but the most committed thieves.
Don’t get a dog solely for burglary prevention, of course – treat your pet as a member of the family, and expect to take care of it for its lifetime!
Garden landscaping
A high spiked fence and prickly shrubs will make it harder for burglars to enter and exit your garden. Gravel driveways are also frequently cited as a good burglary-prevention device – thieves will worry that people can hear them creeping around your home.
Security lights
Burglars often like to use the cover of darkness when breaking into people’s homes – typically, burglaries occur at night when people are asleep or out of the house, or during the daytime when people are at work. Set up an infra-red security light – not only will it discourage burglars, but it will make it easier for you to see the lock at night-time.
CCTV systems
Who would steal from a house if they know they will be on CCTV? A visible CCTV camera will stop criminals in their tracks, and help the police identify suspects should you ever be the victim of a break-in. If you can’t afford a CCTV system, a dummy camera can dissuade opportunistic thieves, although it won’t necessarily convince all of them.
Burglar alarms
Unfortunately, people don’t always respond to burglar alarms – if you heard a burglar alarm going off in your neighbourhood, would you call the police, or even check on the property? Monitored alarm systems are a step-up – these alarm systems call the police when the alarm is activated, and a police officer could be at your doorstep before the thief knows what hit them.
Make your home look less lucrative
Can you see a 42-inch television, a laptop or a big money jar through your front window? Rearrange your front room so that thieves don’t see easy profit when they walk past your home. If doing so would be too difficult or would make your living room less pleasant to spend time.
Security cover
A broken window or broken lock will make your home a target, and if a burglar causes this damage and you don’t get it repaired, the thief will see fit to retarget you. Therefore, home security cover, which is bundled into some of our home emergency cover packages, is also a great way to keep the burglars away.
If a window is smashed, a lock is broken, even if you lose your keys, you just need to give our 24/7 claims line a call to receive prompt emergency assistance from a professional.
Don’t forget!
We offer cover for a range of household appliances to ensure you have peace of mind should yours ever suffer a breakdown. Please contact us via our website or on 0345 3192 247 to find out more. Or call us today for urgent assistance. Our technical teams will run through some simple diagnostics to see if it can be fixed over the phone and if not, they’ll send a manufacturer engineer where possible to take a look.
Don’t attempt to repair the appliance yourself unless you’re really confident what you’re doing. A number of things could go wrong including risks of jamming, electrocution, burns, scalds, cuts and much more. We’ve got a number of highly skilled engineers up and down the country – so you’ll never be far from help when you need it most.
247 Home Rescue accepts no liability for any injuries or damages you sustain following the advice on this website. If in doubt, seek professional assistance.
