Published: 15/12/2016 By Empire Estates
Christmas is the season for family, togetherness, visiting friends and enjoying all the festive cheer. Ironically, even thought we have a famous character called Santa Claus who goes around at Christmas with a big bag full of gifts, a burglar is not the first thing you think of at Christmas. However, Christmas is a burglars favourite time of year.
Here are a 5 simple tips to reduce becoming a burglars next stop this Christmas:
1) Ensure all of your doors and windows are locked, this is number 1 priority as most thieves are opportunists, they look specifically for properties with open windows and doors, if your property is unsecure they are more likely to make you their next victim .
2) Be careful of what you put on the internet, (this is one that you might not have thought of). Potential burglars look through posts seeking out information on the types of gifts people have received, or when they plan to leave their homes for Christmas shopping or for vacation.
3) Make sure that your gifts are not visible from the outside, Its nice to see presents under the Christmas tree but if the tree is near a window, the gifts offer burglars with a tempting invite so try to keep presents out of sight.
4) Don't discard your empty gift boxes in your bin or outside your home. This is the same as putting a sign up for a burglar saying look we have a brand new...computer, DVD player, TV, etc. Burglars appreciate knowing that you have expensive gifts inside for them to steal. You bring the boxes down to your local recycling centre or break the boxes down to conceal the items better.
5) If you are going away make your home look like someone is in. There are a number of way to do this including, using automatic timer-switches to turn your lights and radios on when it goes dark. Also make sure you cancel any newspaper or milk deliveries. Mail sitting on your doorstep is also a sign that you are away, a trusted neighbour may be able to help you by collecting your post, opening and closing curtains and they could park their car on your driveway.