Thursday, 12 October 2017
Winter is an ideal time for a burglar for a variety of reasons – large stretches of darkness and bad weather in which they can mask their movements and activities, the signs that show whether someone is home becoming more obvious, kids being back to school, an accumulation of valuable things in the run-up to Christmas, and, most importantly, cold and stormy weather making homeowners careless.
How many times have you left the house in the morning into the biting cold and blowing rain and fumbled your keys – or almost forgotten to lock the door? Every winter, dozens of homeowners fall prey to this simple carelessness, focusing more on the dreadful conditions outside (and perhaps trying to shepherd the kids out as well) than they are focusing on the security of their home. With the long, dark mornings, a watchful burglar only needs one forgotten lock and they’ll have a perfect opportunity to rob you.
So, what can you do this winter to protect your home?
Try to vary your routine
It can be difficult in the winter, with the demands placed on you by school, work and the weather, to avoid falling into a predictable routine. Unfortunately, burglars don’t have these limitations, so many of them are able to watch their potential targets for long periods of time, learning their behaviours. If you can’t vary your routine, try to create the appearance of an unpredictable pattern, with random light-switch timers and fake tv lights to create the appearance of an occupied house even when you are out. A fake TV light is an especially good deterrent, as it creates the flickering light typical of a TV set, making it impossible to tell whether the house is occupied.
Don’t advertise an Autumn or Winter break
If you are going away this winter, make sure to avoid any tell-tale signs that show your house to be vacant. If you have subscriptions for any items that are delivered to the house, be sure to pause them or have them rerouted while you’re out. Having a neighbour pop by every day or every few days can help with the impression that the house is occupied, taking in mail, removing leaflets and junk mail, and preventing any attempt by burglars to gauge whether you’re home. This can be more important than you’d think – many burglars leave a junk flyer hanging half-out of a postbox as a way to tell whether the homeowners are there, checking to see if it has been removed.
You may also wish to leave your car in the driveway if you are going away, and refrain from posting about it on Facebook or other social media – police last year said that a large proportion of arrested burglars admitted to using social media to “stalk” their victims and learn their habits.
Get into the habit of locking every door
Smash-and-grab burglaries are a popular way to quickly raid a house, and many times they occur while the owner is on the premises. With the rain and wind of winter, it can be easy to simply bundle into the house and go straight for the kettle, but if you develop a habit of locking the door behind you, you can prevent opportunistic burglars from ever seeing their chance.
Use home security tools to their full advantage
If your house has a home alarm, then this can be an excellent deterrent. Make sure to set it every day when you leave, no matter how much of a rush you may be in – if it isn’t armed, it can’t help you. CCTV cameras – real or fake – can make your house seem like too much of a risk to be worth robbing, while window impact alarms can make your windows less tempting prospects. Many of these security devices can be bought from us here at Lock Shop Direct – check out our security options in our online store!
Author: Stephen Wylde
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