Seven tips to keep your home safe this Easter
Whether you are going away for the holidays or just spending a few quiet days at home resting, remember holiday season is a prime time for burglars to strike. Keep your family and home safe this Easter.
1. Don’t post your holiday or travel plans online
Keep your family’s movements private because sharing details such as the location and duration of your trip on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Google Plus is not safe. It can be dangerous as you’re potentially telling criminals “I’m not home”. Remember to warn your children of this risk too.
2. Light up your home’s exterior in the evening
Burglars love to operate under the shadow of darkness. If you are not using them already invest in a few outdoor light bulbs with built in day-night sensors that will switch on in the evening.
3. Switch on the lights inside your home at night
A dark house with no movement during the day and no lights switched on at night is a clear indication to criminals that your home is unoccupied and an easy target. Fix this by buying an affordable timer at a hardware store and set the lights to turn on and off at certain times in rooms your family would usually occupy at night.
4. Ask a trusted friend or neighbour to pick up the post
An overflowing post box and a driveway strewn with newspaper deliveries alerts criminals to the fact that your home is unoccupied.
5. Test your home alarm system
It’s important to regularly test your home security system to ensure it’s in good working order, especially before you go on holiday. But don’t leave the test until the last minute in case there is a problem that needs to be fixed.
6. Use technology to monitor your home security system
If you don’t have CCTV surveillance camera remote access monitoring as part of your home security system, consider upgrading so you can check in on your home using your tablet or laptop from wherever you may be in the world.
7. Brief your house-sitter and domestic staff
If you have the benefit of a house sitter or domestic staff working in your home while you are away, don’t forget to brief them on the importance of not allowing access to repairmen, without first asking for identification. Criminals wearing blue overalls have often posed as water and electricity meter readers and repairmen to gain access to commit robbery.