Leave the lights on?

[K9photo]

Originally Posted by Susie

Burglars are quite happy to enter occupied properties, the best thing you can do is to make sure your property has decent security in the first place.

We live on a RAF camp and find the men with guns patrolling the area keep the crime rates down.

[Susie]

Originally Posted by K9photo

We live on a RAF camp and find the men with guns patrolling the area keep the crime rates down.

That'd do the trick!


Fortunately where I live we have a low crime rate anyway.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Fourwings

Although the entering of propertys by intruders/burglars does occur it is still far less likely to occur than the entering of empty houses.
You are absolutely spot on with what you say Susie, there is no substitute for thinking about making your property as secure as possible.

Installing basic crime prevention measures can be compared to a hurdle race, if you put enough hurdles in the way of the potential burglar then they are far less likely to even attempt to run the race.

Leaving lights on does work, on timer switches is even better & if you do this consider putting a radio on the timer as well as the combination of light and sound from a property acts as an even greater deterant.
Dogs of course are a superb deterant, but don't restrict them to one room when you go out, give them the run of the house so no matter what window anyone looks through they are faced with a barking, growling dog.
It also goes without saying that you should instal good quality window and door locks, not only on the house but also on your garage & any other outbuildings etc..

One thing to keep in mind is to always take those few minutes to check that your home is secure before leaving to go out and just as importantly before retiring to bed at night, many a burglary has occured because doors or windows were left unsecured. Even if you are upstairs or out in the back garden in the the daytime, pop the lock on the front door and downstairs windows, it only takes a minute or two to do this, roughly about the same time it would take an intruder to enter and grab car keys purses etc.. that are quite often just left on tables, work tops or hanging on hooks behind doors !!

I dont wish to alarm anyone this is just a little food for thought.

Someone's been on a course

[agrumpycow]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

Someone's been on a course

Fourwing's is a PCSO

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Fourwings

You are absolutely spot on with what you say Susie, there is no substitute for thinking about making your property as secure as possible.

Installing basic crime prevention measures can be compared to a hurdle race, if you put enough hurdles in the way of the potential burglar then they are far less likely to even attempt to run the race.

But don't be lulled into a false sense of security - if the burglars wish to get in, they will. Sad but true.

henrya

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by agrumpycow

Fourwing's is a PCSO

indeed and the training is clearly working well

[Wild-Woman]

Just to add, it's a good idea to get a trustworthy neighbour to check each day whilst you are away,to make sure there are no letters or papers sticking out of your letter-box. This is such an obvious indicator to the fact that the property is empty.
Also, if you are happy,give them a key allowing them to come in and gather up your mail, and keeping it away the door.
We also have a shared driveway and when our neighbours are away, we straddle our cars across both so potential burglars don't know who's in and who's out. They do the same for us.
Lastly. don't advertise what you've bought recently by leaving out say a TV box or something like that. Where we used to live, a neighbour was broken into, lots of stuff stolen and when they replaced everything that the insurance had paid out for, they put the boxes out for collection and within a month, the very same thing happened again.

[agrumpycow]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

We also have a shared driveway and when our neighbours are away, we straddle our cars across both so potential burglars don't know who's in and who's out. They do the same for us.

That is one I agree with. Most houses in our street have a single driveway yet have more than one car
When we're away, even just overnight, our neighbour parks on of their cars on our drive.

[DebbieP]

I think a timer light switch would be the best idea, and/or leaving the radio on - radios don't use much energy and you could always get a wind up one! In my student houses I've been burgled twice, both times just after Christmas. Thats the most important time to make the house secure, just things like double locking the door (coat hanger through the letter box is how the police reckon they got in one time - the other they just kicked in the back door! It was a pretty shoddy door though!) can make a whole lot of difference. Also putting a house alarm up is meant to work, it doesn't need to be an actual working alarm, but it the burglers are going from house to house (which they often do) it maybe enough to put them off.

[shei111]

Originally Posted by DebbieP

I think a timer light switch would be the best idea, and/or leaving the radio on - radios don't use much energy and you could always get a wind up one! In my student houses I've been burgled twice, both times just after Christmas. Thats the most important time to make the house secure, just things like double locking the door (coat hanger through the letter box is how the police reckon they got in one time - the other they just kicked in the back door! It was a pretty shoddy door though!) can make a whole lot of difference. Also putting a house alarm up is meant to work, it doesn't need to be an actual working alarm, but it the burglers are going from house to house (which they often do) it maybe enough to put them off.

Its okay to leave a radio on but with all the double glazing we have these days you dont hear it on the outside,the volume would have to be up fairly to hear it. sheila