The Vulnerable Home
These are all invitations to burglars:
• Open doors or windows.
• Valuables visible from outside.
• Packaging of new purchases, particularly electronic equipment, placed alongside regular garbage.
• Side and rear access gates not fitted with locks and/or locks not activated.
• Thick vegetation surrounding the house, acting as a screen for burglars.
• Obvious signs that no-one is home: the telephone unanswered, mailbox not cleared, house in darkness, regular deliveries not collected from doorstep.
• Skylights and loft hatches which arc not secured from the inside.
• Ladders left against the wall.
• Garden sheds left open, giving thieves tools to use to break into the house.
Checklist for a safe, secure house
• Most burglaries occur when the home is empty, so install timer devices on your lights, television, radio, etc to make it look like the house is occupied,
• Install movement activated lights around the perimeter of the house which will come on when someone approaches the house.
• Turn the volume down on the telephone before going out.
• Store valuables in a safe place; don’t keep large amounts of cash at home.
• When going away for prolonged periods arrange for someone to regularly empty your mail box and mow the lawn, and remember to cancel all regular deliveries.
• Entry phones to apartment blocks are only as effective as the people who use them. Don’t admit people you don’t know and don’t hold the door-open for someone whose arrival happens to coincide with yours.
• Secure your electricity box so that it cannot be tampered with.
• Identify valuables either by inscribing your name, driver’s license and State onto the article, or in the case of jewellery, antiques, artwork etc, take photos or a video, store in a safe place.
• Install smoke detectors.
• Check your level of insurance cover. If you have renovated or made large purchases since taking out the insurance policy, chances are you arc now under-insured. Check and top-up.
