Monday, 29 September 2014
As part of National Home Security month we’re bringing you a series of articles with free advice and tips designed to keep your home protected.
Today we’re taking a look at opportunistic burglaries and how to stop them from happening.
These burglaries are usually carried out during the day by one or two people. It starts with a knock at the door and they are looking for the following: empty houses, vulnerable people and to see what valuables you have within your home.
They ideally want to find an empty house to break into but even if you are home they will try to carry out a distraction burglary. If there are two of them one will try and keep you at the front door for as long as possible while his accomplice tries to gain entry via the back door. You might think this would never happen to you but you’d be surprised how quickly and quietly they can be in and out especially if you have left the back door unlocked.
If the thief is acting alone, he will look to try and gain access into the house while posing as a utility company representative or a door-to-door salesman of some sort. Once inside they will either take items on the sly or just smash and grab. It is during these smash and grabs that the homeowners can get injured.
So with all of this in mind what can you do to protect your home and yourself from these types of attacks?
Actions you should take:
- Keep the door closed – it is always advisable to protect yourself by using door viewers or security chains to see who is at your door.
- Ask for their full name and check it against their ID (see next point).
- Ask for ID – if they don’t have any tell them you are calling the police. For example all staff from the utilities companies will have ID so beware anyone who claims not to have any. If they do have ID get them to hold it up to the door viewer or pass it through to you but keep the door on the chain.
- Always acknowledge the call but don’t open the door. This lets them know the house isn’t unoccupied. Even a quick shout of “Sorry not interested,” will make them move on.
- Keep back doors locked – this stops the second thief gaining access while you are talking at the front door.
- Lock front door if you are out the back gardening or sunbathing. Some thieves are bold enough to walk straight through the front door and see what they can quickly grab.
- Beware people asking to use your phone as they are in some sort of emergency.
- This is a popular tactic to get inside the house and steal from you. Don’t feel bad for turning them away even if they appear to be in distress as they are only out to steal from you.
- If you get a trader pitching for work door to door e.g. tarmacking your drive, ask for their company name and tell them you’ll do some research first before employing them. All good traders will be registered on a customer review site such as Check-a-Trade. If you can’t find them online this should be a big red flag to you.
For more information on how to keep your home and yourself protected keep checking this blog or get in touch with us and our specialists can give you personalised advice.
Author: Paul Young
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