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Featured Article # - Home Security Advice
How Secure Is Your Home & Contents?
How To Make Your Home & Contents Less Appealing To Burglars?
Do You Have A Home Inventory Of Your Property & Contents In Case Of Burglary?
What To Do About Home Security When Going On Holiday?
Less than 10% of stolen goods recovered by the police remain unclaimed as there is often no record of the owner's ID on the item, or no personal data on the stolen goods has been forwarded to the authorities.
Most homeowners are concerned about home security and theft prevention. Over the last decade home burglaries have decreased in many areas of Australia, but still around one in four homes have suffered a break-in. Of those effected nearly half suffer a break-in again within a few months. The thieves assume the goods have been replaced by the insurance company and know your home. This occurs often before any additional security measures have been fitted. Homeowners can fall into the trap believing it will not happen again. Of great concern to homeowners is the thought of losing precious family heirlooms.
How Secure Is Your Home & Contents?
Help secure your home & contents by:
- Fitting all external doors and windows with deadlocks
- Adding security doors, peepholes and chain
- Fitting double sided locking handles and doors bolts to sliding doors
- ID Tagging [Engraving / UV Marker / Datadot] all valuables and easily removed items
- Increasing security to windows that are hidden from street / neighbours view
- Adding sensor lights
How To Make Your Home & Contents Less Appealing To Burglars?
You can make your home less appealing to burglars by making a few simple changes:
- Installing extra lights in dark areas
- Never leaving keys outside your house
- Removing trees and shrubs that hide windows
- Not leaving ladders and tools unattended outside
- Adding self-tapping screws to the top frame of sliding doors to stop the lifting of the door
- Keeping your car locked when at home
- Remove signs that have your name on as thieves can easily call to see if you are home
- Create a record of your home and contents and store it off-site
- Keeping a dog
- Securing outside sheds, garage and basement
- Invest in a home security alarm system with external siren and signs
Do You Have An Home Inventory Of Your Property & Contents In Case Of Burglary?
A home inventory is a valuable tool when it comes to the recovery of stolen goods. You have at hand a record of what has been stolen with all the items details such as serial and model numbers. This home inventory can be forwarded to authorities in a flash helping to expedite the recovery of stolen goods.
A home inventory is a digital photographic record of your home and contents
- All items details are recorded and stored on CD / DVD media and stored off-site
- A home inventory should contain item details, serial / model numbers & cost
- Additional data is warranties and proof of purchase
What Do You Do About The Security Of Your Home When Going On Holiday?
Increasing home security when going on holiday is a good idea as it helps to keep the thieves in the dark!
- Do not advertise your surname on luggage in large name straps
- Get friends and neighbours to visit / check your home, mail removal and gardening
- Install timers on lights / radio in more than one room
- Leave your contact details with the police, family or your emergency contact
- Allow neighbours to park their car in your driveway
- Disconnect the electricity supply to electric garage doors
- Remember to cancel any deliveries
- Direct your phone to message bank or your mobile
- Store valuables off-site or in a safe deposit box
- Where a home security system is fitted advise the monitoring centre of alternative contacts
Burglary Facts
- Most entries are made through doors. The burglar performs this action so professionally that observing neighbours may be fooled into believing the homeowner has given access.
- The burglar will make sure another door is open to act as an escape route.
- Window entry usually occurs when the window is left open and the home is unoccupied.
- Burglars do not like noise, they like to listen!
- Most burglaries take place between 9.00am – 4.00pm Monday – Friday
- Burglars are often not recognised by neighbours as they dress in business or service type clothing
- Burglars are not normally dangerous criminals. They fear people but may become dangerous when confronted.
This information is by no means a complete list of measures you can take to improve your home security but it does contain some of the most important measures that are recommended by home security companies and the authorities here in Australia.
Article by - Aussie Home Inventories - A business based on the Mid-North coast of NSW supplying Digital Photographic Inventories to home and business owners. For more information visit Aussie Home Inventories on the web.
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