Sunday, November 12, 2017

Burglary Prevention During the Holidays



Don’t let burglars make you their next target! Here are some simple and effective steps that you can take to  minimize being burglarized. Now that the holidays are upon us, so are thieves looking for easy targets. But by taking a few extra steps in making your home less of an easier target, may help protect you from becoming a victim. 

Windows: Look in your windows from outside your home, to see if electronics or any valuables are visible from outside your home. If your valuables are in clear view, try to move them to a safer area of your home or keep your curtains closed when you are not home. 

Security Systems: Install security cameras in key areas outside your home. Burglars usually avoid targeting homes that have good security systems installed. Even if someone does break into your home, the police will have a better chance of catching them if you captured their image on video. Or your cameras can help solve crimes conducted on near by homes in your street. Now you can keep a close eye on your home from any place in the world, with the right security systems. 

Doors: Make sure that you have good quality deadbolt locks in your doors at home, including any backdoors of your home. Keep your sliding doors locked specially when you are not home or during the night. Make a good habit of closing your garage doors at all times, even if you are just going to the grocery store. Thieves are always looks for opportunities of stealing your valuables, even in a matter of seconds. Avoid leaving house keys in obvious places, like under a flower pot or a doormat. If you can afford it, try to install an alarm system. Having an alarm system installed will give you a greater peace of mind, even more when you leave on vacation. 

Lighting: Try to have your home well lit all around your home. Hire a certified electrician to install motion censored lights, specially in the back of your home. Use good quality energy lighting bulbs, thieves tends to avoid well lit homes. 

Landscaping: Plant thorny bushes or shrubs next to windows, this will help keep unwanted people from peaking inside your home. Keep the landscaping around your home trimmed. Avoid having large overgrown shrubs in entrances and walkways. Put yourselves in the shoes of a bad guy, where would you hide around your home? Look for dangerous areas where someone can hide and ambush you when you least expect it. 

Traveling for the holidays? Let a close and trusted neighbor know that you will be away and when you plan on returning home. Ask a friend or neighbor to collect your mail, newspapers, and any publicity left on your driveway. It’s very easy to detect when people are out of town by the amount of junk mail hanging out of their mailbox or on their door ways. If you are traveling for more than a few days, see if your next door neighbor can park one of their vehicles in your driveway so that it may appear like if someone is home. 

Get to know your neighbors: Try to get to know your immediate neighbors on your street, this is good for staying safe not just during the holidays but all year long. Be nice to your neighbors, offer to watch for their home also when they are way. If you are expecting expensive packages to be delivered to your home when you are on vacation, ask your neighbors to hold the packages for when you return home. Also if you have have an elderly neighbor in your block that is having trouble maintaining their landscaping, offer to help mow their lawn and trim their shrubs. 

Cars: One of the easiest ways of becoming a victim is by leaving cars unlocked. Burglars are always looking for easy targets. They would rather steal from an unlocked vehicle than to call attention to themselves by breaking a car window. Don’t leave anything bags, purses, backpacks, boxes, electronics or anything of value in plane view inside your car. Try not to leave gifts in your cars overnight specially during the holidays. 

Social Media: Don’t post on social media that you are planing on traveling for the holidays. You never know who can be lurking in the dark web. I would recommend to post your vacation pictures after your return home, so that way you don’t become a victim of home burglary. Try not to post photos of expensive gifts like jewelry or of your new 200 Inch televisions. Or if you do splurge on extravagant gifts for your home, don’t leave empty television boxes in your driveways. This lets thieves know that you have a new expensive toy, that now they might want to steal from you. Put empty gift boxes in large black trash bags or take them to a local dumpster and dispose of them properly to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention. 


These are simple tips to help you and your loved ones stay safer during the holidays. I hope that they have provided great insight on avoiding becoming a victim. 

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