Your house is your sanctuary; somewhere you can relax and unwind after a
hard day’s work, and the top necessity for making a house into a home is to
feel safe and secure. This will allow you to carry out all your daily tasks,
from cooking to singing and dancing along
to the radio, to taking a long relaxing bath and going to sleep at night
without having to worry about anything.
These days, there are more facilities than
ever to keep your home safe from being targeted in a burglary, vandalism or any
sort of crime, and it is highly advisable to take as many precautions as
possible to make sure that you feel safe in your home. Research
suggests that homes without security measures are five times more likely to be
burgled than those with simple security measures, so it is important to make
this positive impact.
The following tips will help you to create
a more secure home for you and your family
so that you can stop worrying and start enjoying your precious time in your
home.
1) Install a burglar alarm
Criminals are more likely to target houses
which are unprotected by any form of security, as they are less likely to draw
attention to themselves and get caught by anyone. For this reason, criminals will
be less likely to target your house when they know that a burglar alarm is installed.
Even though a burglar alarm is an
investment, it is well worth it to prevent your house and belongings from being
put under threat. However, even if you cannot afford a burglar alarm, it is
possible to purchase fake burglar alarms to be installed on the outside of the house which are very convincing and are also highly likely to deter any criminals.
2) Install good outside lighting
Crime is much more likely to occur in areas
which are dark
rather than areas which are well lit
because criminals are less likely to be seen and caught in darkness due to poor
visibility and the lesser chance that people will be around.
If the areas outside your house is dark or void of street lighting, it is well
worth investing in some outside lights which are sensitive to movement. This
will make it safer for you to go out in the immediate space outside your house
at night time, and you will also deter and shock criminals who do not want to
attract attention to themselves or be seen.
3) Secure doors and windows
The doors and windows of your house are the
most vulnerable points where a criminal is most likely to enter, so it is
important to make sure that you select the safest options available within your
budget. Double glazing windows are a standard for most houses, and they are the
safer option too. There is also sometimes the opportunity to choose glass which
is particularly strong to avoid any breakages. It is also important to make
sure that the locks on the doors and windows all work and you know where the
keys are.
In terms of doors, there are multiple
options on the market which are specifically made to be as safe as possible.
One of the most popular options for front and back doors are composite doors in Sheffield.
These sturdy, reliable doors are made of several materials, adding to their
strength. In terms of security, they are incredibly difficult to break, making
your home safer in general.
It is also highly advisable to lock your
door whenever it is not in use and install a chain so that you have the choice
of whether or not to open the door fully.
4) Keep keys away from doors
When you lock the outside doors, take the
time to put your keys away from the door and out of reach from the letterbox.
Remember, criminals may use a device to hook keys onto and remove them from
your house through the letterbox; this also includes car keys.
Make sure that
any keys or valuable items are well out of the way of your letterbox and
ideally out of sight. You could put them in a drawer or far away from the door
to ensure there is no chance of them being retrieved.
5) Make your house look occupied
Criminals watch
out for household routines and homes where the occupiers appear to be on
holiday before targeting. They look out for signs such as not taking the bins
out, no movement within the house, no noise coming from the house and the cars
staying parked in one spot. For this reason, when you are out of the house for
a long period of time or going away, it is highly advisable to make your house
look occupied.
There are several
ways in which you can create a mock presence in your home, for example by
leaving your lights on a timer and
leaving the radio on for periods of time. This will make it seem as though
people are still occupying or looking after your house.
6) Ask a neighbour to keep watch
If you have a
neighbour you trust, ask them to keep an eye out on your house whilst you are away and offer to do the same for them when
they go on holiday. This will make sure that, even though you are not there,
there is someone looking out for your home who would call for help if there
were any suspicious activities going on around your house.
If necessary, you
could even ask them to take your bins out on bin day so that it looks as though
someone is occupying your property.
Some of the
techniques enlisted require an investment, whereas others are free options.
They are well worth investing efforts into for your peace of mind and to reduce
the chances of your home being targeted in a crime scenario. If you need any
more help regarding the safety of your home, the police service has much information available
on crime prevention.
