Although the dark evenings mean we should all be taking extra precautions when it comes to home security, the Christmas period brings added risk with many people travelling to be with friends and family over the festive period. This leaves empty houses all over the country.
Recent Garda statistics show that almost 50% of burglaries that occur in winter happen between 5pm and 11pm. In almost 1 in 5 burglaries, entry is through an unsecured door or window.
As home security experts, Stop the Burglar say “burglars look for easy entry and escape routes”, so secure your home whether you are away visiting family or out for the evening at a Christmas party by following these simple steps.
Go through the house systematically and consciously secure each room. This will stop ‘the fear’ when you are an hour into your journey that you forgot to lock the downstairs bathroom window:
Although an alarm in itself isn’t always a deterrent to burglars, it will help. The Gardai say that most reported burglary incidents are due to an alarm activation.
Stop the Burglar say closed blinds encourage potential burglars to wonder what you are hiding, so ideally have someone open and close them each day. If that isn’t possible, leave blinds half way down and curtains open.
An easy way for a burglar to know who is home and who isn’t, is by looking for cars in the drive. While there is a small chance someone is at home if there is no car, it is much less than a house with a car outside.
Thieves rely on dark corners so they can hide while they access your property through a back door or window. Stop this by installing motion sensor lighting at the front and back of your home.
Find more ways to keep your home safe this Christmas with our handy home security infographic. Protect the things you love with comprehensive home insurance from AIG.