SAFETY TIP: Six ways to keep your home safe

JOHANNESBURG – Mr Warwick Scott-Rodger, from Dialdirect Insurance, said studies have shown that if it takes a burglar longer than five minutes to break into a house, they are likely to give up and move on.

In in most cases, home break-ins are the result of opportunity, as opposed to serious planning.

“Criminals can tell when you’re not home and when the house is unguarded, or when there is clear evidence of valuables inside,” he said.

“If you are planning on going away, it is important to take precautionary measures. Even with all the insurance in the world, it’s a painful experience to come back and find that your home has been emptied of your valuables,” said Mr Scott-Rodger.

Easy steps to make your home more secure:

1.  Cut back any trees or bushes that obscure your front door or driveway. These could be used as hiding places.
2.  Upgrade your home’s security regularly. If you can’t afford motion-activated security lights, burglar bars will act as a deterrent for would-be criminals.
3.  A burglar alarm is an effective deterrent, especially if it is connected to an armed response company.
4.  Walk around the outside perimeter of your home. Try to see if there are any valuables clearly visible to people passing by, or if there are any obvious means of entry into your home.
5.  When you go on holiday, ask a neighbour or house sitter to turn on your lights and collect your mail so that it doesn’t pile up outside your home.
6.  Clean up in the garden and be sure to lock away spades, rakes and other tools which could conceivably be used to break a window or gain entry into your home.