At this time of year with the weather heating up somewhat many people will be considering where they want to go for their summer holidays. However, as we have been discussing, this can bring with it the problem of what to do to safeguard the home when away.

It is true that the more you do to prevent the likelihood of being burgled the better you will feel about things. In addition to monitored alarm systems and other high tech equipment which can alert the emergency services should the alarm be triggered at any point, you should also think about the following points.

As we have said already, be sure to make the house look occupied. By doing some simple things you can fully protect your home. Don’t leave any deliveries of newspapers or milk on your doorstep. Cancel any grocery deliveries and ask a neighbour to keep an eye out for you till you get back, collecting anything left outside. Also, be sure to remove any valuables easily seen in the front window.

Remember to lock up after yourself. This one may sound obvious but many people forget to lock a patio door or shut an upstairs window before they go on holiday, usually because they are in so much of a rush. It is worthwhile to go through the house room by room to ensure nothing has been missed. Then you can go away assured that you have done all you possibly can to protect your property.

In the last article, we mainly considered the equipment you can buy that will help to safeguard your property when you go away and have to leave it unguarded for a period of time. However, as well as burglar alarms and other home security systems, there are also some measures you can take yourself that will not cost much at all to implement.

At the outset it is worth bearing in mind that burglars just want an easy ride. All they are after is a home which contains all the must-have electronic devices and other valuables, preferably placed on show in the window, but which won’t take much in the way of effort to break into.

This is why you need to ensure that the house still looks lived-in. The more you can do this, then the better the chances are that no attempt will be made by opportunist burglars.

So before you go away on holiday it is important to give burglars the impression that the house is always occupied. You can achieve this by not drawing attention to the fact it is empty at present. Timer switches are great at making it look like this is the case; lights and electronic equipment can be set to switch on and off at certain times of the day.

It is only natural to worry about your home being empty while you are away, but wouldn’t it be better to just do a little more to ensure it is secured, rather than think about it when you should be enjoying yourself?

We will now look at the steps to take in fortifying your home, while a little common sense can really go a long way, and also save you the hassle that a break-in can bring.

For a start, you should give some serious thought into the latest security systems that can really protect your property when nobody is home. But if you simply can’t afford the state-of-the-art equipment at this moment in time, there are other things you can buy when on a budget.

Installing an effective burglar alarm is important as even if you don’t have high tech security equipment in place, this can still provide you with a level of protection that makes burglars think again before deciding to break in to your house.

This will give you the peace of mind you need, comforting yourself that you have done all you can to look after your possessions and the house itself before you set off on your journey.

We will now look at a few more suggestions from Kent Police’s Stay Safe this spring campaign. These will hopefully assist you as you consider your home security in the lead up to the summer months which is usually the most prolific time for opportunist burglars.

The following advice is certainly welcome at this time of year when the evenings are a lot lighter and people go away on holiday, leaving their homes unattended.

It is always wide to remember to close any side gates you have and restrict access to the rear of your property and the back garden. Another important point to make is that any garden equipment and ladders left there that could be used by a burglar to break-in to your home should be securely locked away when not in use.

As well as storing away those items which could be used by a criminal as a climbing aid, you also need to keep sheds and garages locked. If you have any expensive equipment kept in there then it is preferable to have an alarm fitted. Be sure to store recycling bins away from your property so they cannot be used either to gain access into your home.

In the last article we looked at the Stay Safe this spring campaign which has been rolled out across the county by Kent Police. In addition to targeting suspected burglars in the area to recover stolen property, the force also gave some helpful advice, which is not just beneficial to residents in southeast England, but for people throughout the country.

The campaign, which was coordinated by Chief Inspector Lee Russell, of the Partnership and Crime Reduction department, offered a number of useful home security tips which should be heeded this spring.

Among the seasonal recommendations was to make sure that when you go out, always close the windows and lock the doors of your home. Even if you are in, but enjoying time in the back or front garden, you should still bear this in mind. It is also important to double lock any UPVC doors you have.

The visibility of items in your home can make the difference between an attempted break-in to your property or it being left alone. Therefore, do not leave valuables, handbags or keys on show through your windows. You may also wish to fit additional security measures too, such as door locks, intruder alarms, door chains and spy holes.

If you have been reading the news this week then you may have heard about the man who left his identification behind at the scene of a crime in Acton.

Not only did the burglar leave his mobile phone, keys and passport in his backpack at the West London home when he fled, he also tried to claim it had been planted there to frame him for the burglary.

The Sun reported on the story and described how the 48-year-old burglar attempted to explain why the property was found there, but the judge at Isleworth crown court saw through the ploy and the man has now been jailed for six years.

This may be a funny story of a less-than-intelligent criminal but not all burglars are like this man. Burglars are always on the lookout for any opportunity to gain access to homes they feel are worth the risk of breaking into. And they usually have learned all the tricks of the trade.

That is why it is always important to lock all your doors and windows when you go out, not forgetting to remove any valuable possessions left on show. The installation of an effective burglar alarm and security system can also prove to be excellent deterrents and can protect your home from this very real threat.

If you have been reading the news this morning you may have come across reports that parts of England experienced higher temperatures than in traditionally warmer places like Barcelona and Malta. And with the good weather set to continue into next week, there will be plenty of people having barbeques this weekend and spending time in the garden.

But as the spring brings with it more sun and lighter nights, this is the time when burglars look out for opportunities to steal from those who are lax with their home security arrangements. This is not just down to an effective burglar alarm either, though this is certainly something you should seriously consider.

There are other things you can do both inside and outside your property to ward off thieves. One of the most important of these is to ensure that your garden equipment is not left lying around where it can be used to gain access to your home. When this is in addition to unlocked and open windows, burglars may decide to take a chance and break in to your house.

Other things to think about include not hiding spare keys outside your home where they can easily be discovered, security marking and photographing your valuables, while not leaving them on display in the window and locking all doors when you go out.

While the majority of people who knock on your door in an attempt to sell you something or to perform a service like window cleaning or read your gas meter are genuine, there are others who see your home as an easy target for burglary or to try and con you into falling for their trickery.

This is why it is always important to check that the person calling is who they say they are and that they have some form of identification on them at the time. There have been many cases where salespeople and criminals claim to be representing an official body, and have nothing to prove this, yet get away with duping homeowners.

If you do allow someone into your home they may be taking advantage of an opportune moment to steal from you, so it is necessary to identify them first before giving them access to your property.

As older people are especially vulnerable to dodgy salespeople and burglars coming round to their homes, a number of information guides have been published by Age UK to warn them about how to protect against crime.

Home security is something else that should be carefully considered too. This can prove to be the difference between an attempted break-in and crooks viewing your home as more trouble than it is worth.

In this last post on the subject we will be considering a few more things that a homeowner can do to protect his or her property and ward off the threat posed by burglars.

As there have been a number of reported instances recently where thieves have been targeting sliding glass patio doors to gain entry to a house, a secondary blocking device can give you extra peace of mind. This can be achieved by placing a wooden stick into the track, which prevents or limits how much it can be moved.

When fitting new windows or doors, it is important that you only get products which have been certified to current standards.

Neighbourhood watch schemes can be very good at ensuring that people living in a particular area keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious. As well as this you could have a word with your adjacent neighbours and try to agree on watching out for one another’s homes.

In addition to the security lighting you can install on your property, a burglar alarm is something you should seriously consider. It is also necessary to keep it well maintained to ensure it is working at its optimum.

If you bear all these things in mind, you will be able to do so in the knowledge you have done all you can to look after your home.