Home Security

In today's world everyone needs some sort of security system before we can rest easy and have peace of mind to reduce the chance of being a victim of crime. By taking simple (and often inexpensive) precautions, you can reduce the risk of your home being burgled. Most burglaries are carried out by opportunist thieves. In two out of 10 burglaries, they don’t even have to use force - they get in through an open door or window. So fit strong locks to your doors and windows and make sure you always keep them fully locked.

British Crime Survey Statistics 2005/06

There were 733,000 offences of domestic burglary as measured by the BCS in 2005/06, representing seven per cent of all crime estimated by the BCS. Of these (asterisks refer to the subsets that total 733,000 offences):

440,000 involved an offender gaining entry *;
293,000 attempts only *;
418,000 resulted in an attempt or an entry with no loss **;
315,000 involved a loss of property **

Take a look at some of our burglar alarm packages to see how we can protect your home.

Safe as Houses

A burglar will normally select a target that offers him the best opportunity to carry out his crime undetected and with the fewest obstacles in his path. The more steps you take to deter a burglar, the more protected you will be. Here are some simple steps that you can take to protect your home:

	Remove ladders that can be used to help a burglar to get into your property.
	A third of burglars use a back window so fit window locks to all downstairs windows, and to easily accessible upstairs windows.
	Mark valuable possessions with an ultra-violet pen so they can be traced back to you if the police recover them.
	Always leave a spare key with a neighbour rather than try to hide it under a flowerpot or a doormat, as these are the first places that thieves will look. For the same reason don't be tempted to hang a spare near your front door.
	Install Security Lights so that if anyone comes near your property, they cant hide or sneak in.
	Use a secondary blocking device on all sliding glass doors by inserting a wooden dowel or stick into the track thus preventing or limiting movement.
	Try and get to know all your adjacent neighbours and invite them into your home to establish trust and agree to watch out for each other's home.
	Install a burglar alarm and have it maintained regularly to make sure it is fully working.

If you are replacing or fitting new doors and windows, get ones that are certified to British Standard BS7950 (windows) or PAS 24-1 (doors).

As a last resort, you should consider fitting security grills to vulnerable windows.

Going Away on Holiday

We all know that when you go away on holiday, you are thinking about your home being safe. That peace of mind factor is always difficult, especially if you have no protective measure. The last thing that anyone wants is to come home after a holiday to find out that someone has destroyed your dreams. It’s always best to play safe when going away and here are some protective measures that you can take;

	Don’t draw attention to the house being empty
	Make sure all windows and doors are locked properly before leaving
	Uses Timer switches for switching lights on and off automatically making it appear that some is at home
	Inform your neighbours to make them aware that you are going away
	If you have milk or newspaper delivery, inform them so that these are not left outside your property in the dark for a burglar to notice that you are away

Its simple - Make the house look like you're still living in it. The more preventative action you take, the more you will feel at ease. By having a monitored alarm installed at your property, if you are away on holiday and your alarm activates, keyholders and the emergency services can act on your behalf so that your holiday is not affected and more importantly your home is well protected.

Speak to a professional now on 0800 118 5 999 to see how we can help or;