Securing Your Home at Christmas

Christmas is a time when family’s come together, meals are shared and generally a lot of money is spent! In the run up to the festive period as gifts start being purchased, most homes will have a lot more goods in than usual. Expect items such as sat-navs, i pods, computers and other desirable electronic goods to be high on the list of stolen items this Christmas. Criminals know that this and are often on the lookout for first dibs on your new goodies. It is a sad fact that the Christmas period is a time when theft rises, but this article gives you some advice on home security measures to help prevent you and your belongings become the victim of theft at Christmas.

Yes, we all hate it. What could be worse than trunching your way round the town centre heavy laden with bags, barging through other shoppers with all their bags and then cramming back into a car park lift full of yet more shoppers and more bags? Funny how the festive spirit comes and goes! Going back and forth between your car and the shops to off load your shopping is a popular tactic for the frustrated shopper, but this is where a lot of people fall victim to crime before they’ve even come home with their festive gifts. Criminals aren’t stupid and they will be on the lookout for shoppers leaving goods in motor vehicles, so make sure you’re aware of this and if you do have to leave stuff in the car, make sure it is secure and WELL out of sight. Never leave items on the back seat, thefts from motor vehicles are nearly all opportunist thefts, so don’t leave yourself open to this risk.

You’ve survived the shopping, everything’s sorted and your presents are wrapped and sitting under the tree. Ah, what a nice feeling! Unfortunately your eyes may not be the only pair of eyes enjoying the view. Again, most burglaries in the festive season are carried out by opportunist thieves so making sure your home is secure will greatly reduce the risk of falling victim. The first step to take is so obvious, but often overlooked; make sure you gifts are out of sight and draw the curtains at night so people can’t look in and see everything on display. Make sure your home is always secure, that doors are locked, that your windows have visible locks and that they are in use. If you’ve lost any keys, get a locksmith round to change or re-key your locks. Taking simple steps like these could make all the difference.

The Christmas season is a popular time for going away to visit relatives, or to have a holiday with the family. Many homes will be left unattended over the festive period and this obviously raises the opportunities for break ins. If you choose to go away at Christmas, make sure you leave your house secure. A few simple steps you could follow include; asking a neighbour to check on your house and open/close the curtains at the usual times; investing in some timers for your lights so they go on and off as if you were home; make sure your exterior doors have good quality dead-locks and that your windows also have quality locks and are in use!