Make sure you have your home security all wrapped up

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Make sure you have your home security all wrapped up Posted On 14 November 2018

Christmas time is a popular time for theft and burglaries, so extra precautions should be taken to ensure your home stays safe and festive during the holiday season

It’s getting to that time of the year again when Father Christmas will soon be dusting off his sleigh and its bells will start ringing once more. And we all know that if we’ve been good throughout the year we’ll receive some amazing presents from him. Most of us get presents, but there are some who don’t – the ones who weren’t good throughout their years. And they want their presents… even if it means thieving them with their own hands!

To help ensure your Christmas stays a happy and joyous one, follow our guide as to how best to keep your home as secure as possible from these thieves throughout the festive season.

Let’s begin with what might be considered an obvious one to some but can perhaps be easy to miss. Especially over Christmas time, burglars search bins. It’s so that they can find out what kinds of presents are in the property – scouting out potential thieving pads. Don’t leave the present packaging outside, because if you do, and that burglar searching your bins finds the box which the Apple MacBook Pro you bought your daughter originally came in, the burglar will likely want to seek out its previous inhabitant.

Likewise, giving any hint or clue as to what kind of presents you’ve bought, to anyone from the outside of the property looking in, would probably be unwise. Make sure all the gifts are tucked away out of sight, in a location where they cannot be seen from the outside through windows.

Don’t post images of your presents on social media. Although this will be after Christmas Day, it’s still a great security measure to take, given just how fundamental social media is in our lives today. Showing off your new presents to your friends and acquaintances on social media is an exciting thing to be able to do, but it will be just as thrilling for potential thieves to see.

Lights can be an excellent way of deceiving any onlookers as to whether or not the property is occupied. Some lights can have timer mechanisms and can easily give the impression that someone is home, whether the lights are on the outside or inside of the property. If the lights are programmed to come on at certain intervals whilst you’re away from the property, the timed lights will give the impression that someone is at home.

More standard security measures such as burglar alarms and door lock upgrades are also something you may want to consider. Many homes have burglar alarms already, and they would be particularly effective.

The Ring Video Doorbell, a product advertised on TV, would be a fantastic way of making sure any potential burglars are turned away promptly while you are out. How does it work? The doorbell is connected to your mobile phone, and when the doorbell is rung, the mobile phone presents the image the doorbell captures with its camera, and the words spoken through the phone can he heard from the doorbell. Speaking directly to whomever is ringing your doorbell while you’re out allows you plenty more control over the situation, affording you the opportunity to ask the stranger, who will think you are inside the home, to leave if you so wish.

Top tips for if you’re going away this Christmas

• Avoid announcing your plans or advertising your holiday on social media platforms
• Avoid leaving notes on the front door for the delivery man, for anyone to see
• Avoid declaring details of your holiday on your voicemail answer machine messages, for anyone to hear
• As well as lighting timers, try timed radios to make your home look and sound lived in
• Ask a friend or neighbour to check on your home whilst you’re away, making sure everything inside is the way it should be
• Ask a neighbour to park their car in your driveway, to create the impression that the property is lived-in