Protect your home this winter

When winter rolls around and we lose a lot of light, homes become a prime target for burglars - both chance and planned robberies. Here are seven things you can do to make sure your home isn’t vulnerable to these attacks. 

1. Take cover
Make sure that you keep all valuables from being visible from ground floor windows, including any Christmas presents, when the festive season rolls around. Of course TVs are difficult to hide but make sure your blinds are down when you leave the house. Take care of smaller valuables that are easily forgotten such as watches on window ledges when they’ve been taken off during washing up and laptops on dining room tables whilst working from home. 

2. Be safe
Consider getting a coded safe for your valuables that’s kept in a cupboard, wardrobe or the loft if you have very expensive jewellery or even to store things that you may not need such as laptops whilst you’re away over the festive period. It can also be a good idea to create a small inventory of your valuables if the worst was to ever happen, so you can check what has actually been taken. 
 
3. Make some noise
Installing a gravel driveway or path is a great way to deter burglars as it will make a crunching noise straight away when someone steps on it. This seems simple but it can be a huge deterrent for these criminals - especially under accessible windows. 

4. Lock it up
This one seems obvious but ensure that you lock all windows and doors whilst you are out and don’t leave keys in locks for windows or door keys within reaching distance of door letterboxes. Thieves can use pole-like devices to snatch keys through letter boxes so they don’t even have to break anything to end up entering your home. And, definitely don’t leave keys under plant pots as this is not a safe place to keep them. 

5. Invest in tech
These days, it’s quite easy to invest in your very own CCTV system or motion-activated door cameras to see who’s ringing your doorbell or walking around your house. If you like the sound of this, do some research on these clever, app-based technologies and see if there’s one that could fit your needs. 

6. Leave a light on
This can be an automatic or scheduled action if you install WiFi powered light bulbs in your home as with the tech above. If you’re not into the latest technologies, simply make sure that there is a lamp or a light on inside your home during the dark winter months to deter any burglars from attempting to gain access to your house. Plug in lamp timers are very easy to install and can be picked up quite cheaply from home stores. 

7. Check your alarms
Ensure that your alarm batteries are fit for purpose and your burglar alarms are actually working. And, if you have any alarms outside, make sure there aren’t any wires that could easily be cut, rendering your alarm disabled. 

Follow these seven easy steps to make sure your house and your family aren’t targets for petty crime this winter.