Crime rates increase by around 20% during the holiday season, especially Christmas. And this includes home invasions. So here are some tips to help secure your home this year.
Burglar forcing door lock with crowbar – Image Courtesy of Pexels
Make Entry Difficult in the First Place
80% of intruders will come through the front door, backdoor or windows. Some aren’t as strong as they appear, and a well-equipped burglar can make easy work of even uPVC windows. So you need to ensure it isn’t worth their time since intruders want to do their job as quickly as possible.
The longer they are at your home, the higher the chance they will be caught. So make it hard for them. Door and window security screens offer far more protection than flimsy standard ones. And plastic catches make it impossible to open a window from the outside.
Get a Dog for Christmas
You might want to consider an early Christmas present for all the family by getting a dog. More than just something cute to play with, a dog is an excellent burglar alarm. Because dogs like to bark, just having one will act like an alarm and keep most people from breaking into your house.
Strong dogs like Bull Terriers, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers are among the finest breeds of dogs for home security. Of course, no one will risk their lives on these big, strong dogs. But even lapdogs can be equally as beneficial because all they do is bark at people they don’t know.
Secure Your Home by Covering Up Gifts
We all spend more on gifts during Christmas and the holidays, and we store those gifts in our homes. Jewelry, clothes, and electronics like PlayStations are all common gifts. Because of this, common electronics worth more than $500 million are stolen from homes every year, and the number of thefts goes up around the holidays.
If you hide expensive things, people who are watching you won’t be able to tell what they are. So, when you get gifts out of your car, try not to give away what they are. Also, wait until Christmas morning to put them under the tree.
Remember that good organization is half the battle. You may have a wonderful collection of loose diamonds just waiting for jewelry inserts, but it’s best to secure them in protective bags, secure boxes, and stored in a secure location too. This way, you keep good care over your most valued items, even during gifting season.
Install Smartphone CCTV
CCTV used to cost a lot, but modern advances have made it cheaper. Nowadays, you can get surveillance systems that don’t cost an arm and a leg. You can also get models that are easy to connect to your phone or computer. So you don’t have to put in a complex security system that requires wiring.
And there is also smart CCTV. You can use your smartphone or tablet to connect to and monitor smart camera systems from anywhere. So when you get a message, you can use your phone to see if someone is in your house or if it’s just the dog playing around!
Get Some Extra Help
Most thieves won’t even try to break in if there’s an alarm on the house. Yet, while alarms are great, they don’t always work. So sometimes, you need a little more protection. Most reputable alarm companies offer a professional security subscription package and will actively monitor your home.
When you have private residence protection, the alarm company will let you know if your detector has been set off. They will then call you for your pre-arranged password to confirm if it’s you. And if they need to, they can call the police or private security to help right away.
Summary
Crime spikes over the holidays. But you can easily take some extra measures to protect your home. Door and window screens are simple and effective. But you should also cover gifts and consider having a professional security system installed for even greater peace of mind.
Kori
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