Home Security Advice

The Home Office publish excellent advice on home security:-

Peace of mind while you’re away - Advice on keeping your home secure

Everyone needs a holiday some time. And however much you like your home, there’s nothing like a change of surroundings.

But you want to come home and find everything as you left it. Four out of five burglaries occur when a house or flat is empty, so don’t advertise that you’re away on holiday.

Plan ahead

The checklist below will help you to keep your home secure. Read it now so that you can plan ahead. Then tick off the items just before you go.

Help from your neighbours

It’s also a good idea to get help from your neighbours. All you have to do is fill in the card below and give it to a friend or neighbour. It asks them to keep an eye on your home while you’re away.

You could also ask them to collect post left in the letter-box, sweep up leaves, even mow the lawn and generally make the place look lived in.

You can repay the favour by doing the same for them. Warn your key-holding neighbour not to put your surname, address or even your house number on your keys in case they fall into the wrong hands.

Is there a Neighbourhood Watch scheme where you live? It could help you keep your home secure while you’re away, and has many other crime prevention and community benefits.

Checklist

bulletHelp reduce the risk of your home being broken into by taking some simple home security measures. The free booklet ‘Your Practical Guide to Crime Prevention’ has over a hundred tips on preventing crime, available from your local police station or write to Home Office, PO Box 999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6FS.
bulletLeave small valuable items, like jewellery, on deposit at the bank, or consider installing a small floor safe. Don’t lock internal doors or desks – they may be forced if someone does break in.
bulletMark any other valuable items with your postcode followed by the house number or the first two letters of the house name. Then if they are stolen and later found, the police can identify and return them to you. Use the right security marker – DIY shops sell property-marking kits. Ask your local crime prevention officer for ‘postcoded property’ warning stickers to display in the front and back windows of your house. Also take photos of all valuable items. This is particularly important for those which may be unsuitable for marking.
bulletArrange for pets to be properly looked after.
bulletCut the lawn before you go.
bulletCancel deliveries of milk, newspapers, etc., discreetly – don’t announce your departure to a shop full of people. Only tell people who need to know you’re going away.
bulletMake sure your house looks occupied. Closed curtains in the daytime make it look as if no one is home. It is worthwhile to get automatic time-switches to switch lights – and a radio – on and off in downstairs rooms.
bulletDon’t leave valuable items like TVs, videos or hi-fi visible through windows.
bulletLock the garage and shed with proper security locks, after putting all your tools safely away so they cannot be used to break into your house. If you have to leave a ladder out, put it on its side and lock it to a secure fixture with a ‘close-shackle’ padlock and a heavy-duty chain.
bulletDon’t have your home address showing on your luggage for the outward journey. Put this only on the inside of your cases.
bulletFinally, lock all outside doors and windows. If you have a burglar alarm, make sure it is set – and that you have told the police who the key-holder is.

And just before you actually set off, it’s worth allowing a quiet couple of minutes on the doorstep to check you’ve done all you had to do and taken everything you need with you.

 

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Dear neighbour

Please be a good neighbour and look after my house while I’m away. Check doors and windows (every day, if possible). Push newspapers and letters right through the letter-box. Make sure no milk or other deliveries are left on the step. And if you see or hear anything suspicious, please don’t hesitate to dial 999 and ask for the police.

Good Neighbour Card

Signed -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Home address-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Thank you for your help – I’ll look after your home while you are away.

 I will be away from --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Returning on ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holiday address(es), dates and telephone numbers-------------------------------------------

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Holiday company telephone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Car make, colour and registration -------------------------------------------------------------------

Other information -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Please keep this card in a safe place – thank you. (If you have my spare key, please don’t mark it with my surname, address, house number or anything similar.)

For a copy of Your Practical Guide to Crime Prevention contact the Crime Prevention Officer at your local police station or write to:

Crime Prevention Publicity
Home Office
Room 155
50 Queen Anne's Gate
London SW1H 9AT 

Source :- http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/cppmwya.htm

 

 

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