Many homeowners used the recent COVID lockdowns as an opportunity to begin eagerly anticipated DIY chores around the house or add a home office to their home or garden room for at home entertaining. These investments mean that is well worth taking a few easy steps to improve your security and reduce the likelihood of a burglary. Even prickly climbing plants against a fence will deter a thief. However, the more layers of security you implement, the safer your property will be.
Fencing and gates
Where they cannot be observed, burglars frequently attack properties from the rear. If you have a back garden, make sure it is enclosed by sturdy wood fencing and that any entry points have full-height locked gates to prevent unrestricted access. Any timber fence with a lightweight trellis attached to the top can deter burglars from scaling it. To find out how high your fence can be, check with your local council’s planning department. Avoid the temptation to top any fence or wall with barbed wire or pieces of shattered glass; instead, think about adding a layer of prickly plastic cones to discourage climbers. However, you can use prickly bushes along any fence line to deter intruders.
Protect your shed
A smart technique to stop burglars from getting to your garden tools, which they could use to enter your home, is to properly secure your shed. Make sure the shed is securely fastened to the ground, has grilles over any windows, tamper-proof hinges and screws, and has a weatherproof padlock with a locked shackle. Our Pyronix alarm systems allow you to add motion detectors and sensors to detect attempted entry into your outbuildings.
Check with your home insurer
Remember to check your home contents insurance first if you want to increase the security of your house to make sure you have adhered to any requirements for a minimum level of physical security under your current policy to benefit from discounts that some insurers offer.
How good are your doors and locks?
A timber front door requires a minimum of two locks, one placed a third of the way from the top and another placed a third of the way from the bottom of the door.
A uPVC door requires a multi-point locking system with a barrel that doesn’t protrude too far from the lock.
Older doors and locks offer reduced protection against housebreakers due to their age, wear and tear and reliance on older technology. If you don’t feel comfortable replacing your own locks, get in touch with a Master Locksmiths Association member.
Make your home look occupied
Thieves prefer unoccupied homes as this lessens risk for them. You want to make your home look occupied as much as possible. Ensure your garden is well-tended, unread mail does not build up at the door and make it look like someone is home by buying a timer switch for your lights or TV can make it look like you are home during the night. This can be enough to deter any possible burglars.
Mark your valuables
Numerous property tagging services and techniques exist that let you identify valuable goods in your home’s contents and link them to your address. If they are stolen and found, you can be identified as the owner and recover them. As an extra deterrent, a sticker should be put in the front window of houses where the things inside have been marked. Burglars can be caught when they try to sell on stolen goods.
Consider a home safe
To protect your belongings, you might wish to install a house safe. This safe should be anchored to the wall or floor and kept hidden at all times. Again, check your house insurance to determine if you are sufficiently protected when using a specific safe. All safes are insurance rated according to the kind and value of objects they contain. It may be wiser to put a significant amount of jewellery and valuables in a safety deposit vault in order to eliminate any risk because some gangs will target residences where they know a safe is located.
Install security cameras
An excellent way to keep an eye on visitors – welcome or otherwise – is by investing in a professionally-installed home CCTV system. Advanced wireless, motion detection and night vision technology means that your entire property and its boundaries can be covered with the footage live-streamed over the internet to your smartphone or dedicated tablet with various recording and alert options to provide early warning of any attempted intrusion.
Trust Ultimate Alarms for CCTV installation in Glasgow & throughout central Scotland including Paisley, East Kilbride & Hamilton. We fit high quality Pyronix & Hikvision security camera solutions for homes across the central belt. Contact us today to discuss your home surveillance needs.
