With the long Easter weekend just around the corner, many families are planning trips away.
Fidelity ADT encourages residents to prioritise their home safety and alarm security systems before leaving for the extended weekend.
“With people taking off on holiday over the Easter period, there will be more empty homes and quieter streets, which appeals to organised and opportunistic thieves,” said the private security firm’s head of marketing and communications Charnel Hattingh.
She added that it is important to remember that criminals do not take a break and will see this long weekend as an opportunity.
Homeowners are encouraged to keep a checklist to ensure that their residence is safe while there are away.
“As there is a lot to think about, most of us plan a holiday with a checklist. I suggest checking that your home security will not let you down [should] take priority on this list. It doesn’t matter if you are away for a long weekend or an extended period; make sure you have peace of mind that everything will still be intact when you return,” said Hattingh.
Fidelity ADT recommends that the following top items be on your home security checklist:
- Make it look like you are still home. Ask your neighbours to pop in, switch lights on and open the curtains. They can put the sprinklers on and clear your postbox so your property looks occupied. Modern technology also makes it easy to control the lights and other electrical items remotely, from wherever you are in the world.
- Keep it quiet. It’s better not to broadcast to the whole world that you will be away from your property for an extended period.
- Lock, check and double-check. Outward-facing windows, garage doors, and even tool sheds should be locked properly before leaving.
If your carport of the garage leads into the main house, then your alarm system should be set up to monitor this as a potential access point.
“Tightening up small vulnerabilities can amount to a huge relief when it comes to home security. Do not leave anything to chance this Easter,” Hattingh concluded.
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