Residential burglary prevention checklist
Create illusion of being at home.
With crime forever spiraling out of control, one can never take enough precautions.
Security practitioner Louis Grobler has the following tips to keep your home safe this festive season and beyond:
• Get to know your neighbours. Meet regularly for fun, informal events and exchange contact information. Neighbours who know and trust each other will look out for each other.
• Plant flowers and play sidewalk games … or something. Spend time outside and take the time to spruce up your yard and entry. A street that looks active and tidy can be less appealing to criminals than a seemingly deserted, unkempt one.-
• Learn to associate residents with their homes and their vehicles. Learn their daily schedules and habits. It is easier to identify what is out of the ordinary if you know what the norm is.-
• Know your block map: Obtain a copy of a household grid map with corresponding addresses to help you accurately report home locations.-
• In the event of suspicious activity, make sure you and your neighbours call the police to report it immediately. Neither the police nor security companies can be everywhere all the time, so they appreciate your eyes and ears. Go with your gut; it’s okay to be wrong. It’s better to be safe than sorry.-
• Develop a habit of locking your doors, even when you are at home and busy in the yard. A burglary can occur within a very short time.-
• Assess the locks on your doors: Burglars can enter homes by kicking in locked doors. Choose longer strike plates and upgrade to 3″ screws.-
• Develop a habit of putting purses and wallets in an upper-level closet: Keeping these items away from the main entrance and windows reduces the odds of a quick theft.-
• Keep garage/ service doors locked at all times to prevent burglars from scoping out the contents.-
• Make sure your garage windows/ doors are in good repair. –
• Keep your garage door remote control out of sight in your car. Burglars have used them to gain access to garages.-
• Secure air conditioners. Burglars can gain entry by pushing in the unit. Bolt the air conditioner to the frame of the window, or otherwise secure the unit.-
• Lock windows every night. If windows are locked in an upward position, allow a maximum of 8cm opening. A burglar can enter with as little as 15cm of clearance.-
• Draw your blinds, curtains or other window covers before switching on interior lights to prevent burglars from seeing electronics and doing window shopping through windows.-
• Keep outside lights on: Leave lights on all night long in both the front and back of the house. Use motion sensors in outer perimeter areas such as the garage.-
• Assess indoor lighting: Consider leaving a light on all evening and using dimmer lights at night.-
• Create the illusion that someone is at home day and night: Add some background noise such switching on a radio.-
• Dogs are proven deterrents.
Also Read:
What to do when you’re a hijacking target
More handy tips to prevent crime
