As the dark evenings begin to return, it is a good time to ensure your home security is ready for the Winter.
Less hours of daylight during the late seasons gives burglars the chance to go about their crimes under an extended cover of darkness. They will be looking for easy targets and opportunities, where homes appear unoccupied or don’t have an alarm system.
Specific dates in Winter see spikes in criminal activity. According to Aviva, Halloween and Bonfire Night are statistically the worst time of the year for burglaries. Burglaries are thought to increase at this time due to people leaving their homes unsecured whilst enjoying the occasion.
We would always advise that both business and homeowners carry out some simple checks and measures to ensure their premises are protected. Just because you’ve not been a victim of crime, does not mean this will always be the case.
Below, we have put together a list of considerations to protect your home and your family against burglars over the winter months:
Double check your doors and windows
Keep all entrances and windows locked to avoid a potential break in, even when you are in the house. Likewise, if you are going out, do not unlock the front door until you are ready to leave and double check that all doors and windows are locked on departure.
Lock sheds and outbuildings and make sure there is nothing in the garden that thieves can use to break in such as tools, ladders and even garden furniture. Burglars will use anything they can to smash a window or force a door open.
During Halloween and trick or treating, make sure your door is locked, it’s easy to forget to lock your door with so many groups coming and going, it could be easy to forget to properly close and lock your front door between visits. Also, if someone knocks at one door, make sure other doors are locked before answering.
Keep keys and valuables secure and out of sight
Place car and house keys somewhere safe when not in use. Don’t leave keys in the lock or near the door where they can potentially be hooked out from the other side and don’t hide a key outside the house anywhere for times of emergency, burglars know the common hiding places for keys kept outside.
Invest in a home alarm system
If you don’t already have one for your home, now is the time to install a home alarm system. With the darker winter nights, home alarms make a great deterrent against opportunist thieves.
Having a modern, state-of-the-art intruder alarm system, with an alarm box that is illuminated on the front of your house will act as a visible deterrent; most burglars will choose to target houses with DIY alarms or those with no alarms at all. It is also important to remember to set the alarm for when you’re going out, sleeping upstairs or even out in your back garden on Bonfire Night.
Invest in a home CCTV Camera System
CCTV is becoming much more popular across homes and businesses, and a modern CCTV surveillance system will make light work of these dark nights. With an HD CCTV camera system with infrared technology you can see your premises clearly without any external light source.
Aside from the more obvious crimes, the darker nights can also provide perfect cover for activity such as anti-social behaviour and criminal damage, which can be just as problematic as more serious crime.
Fitting external CCTV cameras to your property will act as a strong visible deterrent. Thieves will not want to run the risk of breaking into a property knowing they could be caught on camera, and it is worth making sure that any intruders would be aware of the fact they are being watched by having GDPR compliant CCTV signage.
Smartphone technology allows homeowners to access their CCTV video images remotely, so they can keep an eye on their property at all times, wherever they are in the world.
The ability to remotely check the outside of your property is ideal for people who may feel vulnerable at home alone, allowing them to look around the area without going outside.
Keep your property lit up
Intruders can move around undetected during the darker nights. Therefore, we recommend external security lights to help spot any unwanted guests on site. Most burglars would bypass a house that is well illuminated over one that had plenty of shadows and dark corners to hide in.
Leave lights on and perhaps the TV on with its volume up when you go out in the evening so that the house looks occupied. If you are away for a few days or more it could be worthwhile investing in some timers where you can turn lights on remotely.
Maintain your security systems with an accredited company
It is important to keep your servicing and maintenance up to date. This should be done all year round, but if it’s been a while since your burglar alarm had a service, then why not get it sorted for the winter. Your home alarm system may require a new battery and a maintenance schedule will ensure your CCTV, Intruder Alarm and Access Control systems are kept fully operational should a break in occur.
At Highlander Security Systems, we can look at different home security options to suit your security needs and budget. From home burglar alarm systems to home CCTV systems and everything in between, we provide a range of security services to help secure your home or business. To discuss your home or business security, or to find out more about the services we offer, please get in touch with us today.
