il from your letter box and if you trust them enough, enter your home to switch radios and lights on , and open and close curtains. All of these actions can help create the illusion that your home is occupied. This can be enhanced by having your neighbour park their car on your drive.

If you’re nervous about leaving a house key with a neighbour, remember you probably won’t have a choice if your home is protected by a burglar alarm. This is because in order to get a Police response when the alarm goes off, it’s a condition that you make arrangements to nominate a keyholder t

It’s all very well installing quality security systems, but unfortunately they need to be managed in order to work for you. Believe me, I’ve been to the scene of successful burglaries, where the state of the art alarm systems protecting those houses concerned weren’t set i.e. they were effectively switched off!

So, having installed good locks to your home’s doors and windows and done the same for your out- buildings, you must remember to use them, even when you’re at home.

This is because not all burglaries take place when the householder is out.

There is a particularly nasty type of burglar, who specifically targets the elderly. Working in pairs, one will call at the front door, asking perhaps for a cup of water or directions, whilst the other will try and get in the property via the back door and then carry out the burglary. Very often the victim isn’t aware, until much later, what has taken place.

But you don’t need to be elderly to be taken advantage of, walk-in’ thieves – or sneak thieves – as you may know them, will take a chance if they think it’s worth their while. So do be on your guard!

Setting alarms and light timers and locking doors and windows are obvious things to do, but what other things do you need to remember when preparing to leave your home, even if only for a short while?

Well, if you’re only out for a short while, leaving the radio on during the day is a good idea because it gives potential burglars the impression that your home is occupied and could put them off.

During the evening, this should be coupled with leaving on appropriate lights e.g, in the living room, with curtains drawn. Until advised otherwise by a Fire Safety Officer, I would have said put the television on too, but apparently, unattended TV’s pose a potent fire hazard.

For longer periods of absence, like holidays, especially during summer, cut the lawn – untended lawns can indicate that you’re away! Obviously, lock garden tools and attractive items like bikes in your shed / garage and don’t forget to cancel the milk and papers.

When going on holiday it’s prudent to make arrangements with your neighbours to keep an eye on your property. The trade – off of course, is that you will return the favour when they need it. Your neighbour can remove freebie papers and mail from your letter box and if you trust them enough, enter your home to switch radios and lights on , and open and close curtains. All of these actions can help create the illusion that your home is occupied. This can be enhanced by having your neighbour park their car on your drive.

If you’re nervous about leaving a house key with a neighbour, remember you probably won’t have a choice if your home is protected by a burglar alarm. This is because in order to get a Police response when the alarm goes off, it’s a condition that you make arrangements to nominate a keyholder to

icularly nasty type of burglar, who specifically targets the elderly. Working in pairs, one will call at the front door, asking perhaps for a cup of water or directions, whilst the other will try and get in the property via the back door and then carry out the burglary. Very often the victim isn’t aware, until much later, what has taken place.

But you don’t need to be elderly to be taken advantage of, walk-in’ thieves – or sneak thieves – as you may know them, will take a chance if they think it’s worth their while. So do be on your guard!

Setting alarms and light timers and locking doors and windows are obvious things to do, but what other things do you need to remember when preparing to leave your home, even if only for a short while?

Well, if you’re only out for a short while, leaving the radio on during the day is a good idea because it gives potential burglars the impression that your home is occupied and could put them off.

During the evening, this should be coupled with leaving on appropriate lights e.g, in the living room, with curtains drawn. Until advised otherwise by a Fire Safety Officer, I would have said put the television on too, but apparently, unattended TV’s pose a potent fire hazard.

For longer periods of absence, like holidays, especially during summer, cut the lawn – untended lawns can indicate that you’re away! Obviously, lock garden tools and attractive items like bikes in your shed / garage and don’t forget to cancel the milk and papers.

When going on holiday it’s prudent to make arrangements with your neighbours to keep an eye on your property. The trade – off of course, is that you will return the favour when they need it. Your neighbour can remove freebie papers and mail from your letter box and if you trust them enough, enter your home to switch radios and lights on , and open and close curtains. All of these actions can help create the illusion that your home is occupied. This can be enhanced by having your neighbour park their car on your drive.

If you’re nervous about leaving a house key with a neighbour, remember you probably won’t have a choice if your home is protected by a burglar alarm. This is because in order to get a Police response when the alarm goes off, it’s a condition that you make arrangements to nominate a keyholder t

rs and locking doors and windows are obvious things to do, but what other things do you need to remember when preparing to leave your home, even if only for a short while?

Well, if you’re only out for a short while, leaving the radio on during the day is a good idea because it gives potential burglars the impression that your home is occupied and could put them off.

During the evening, this should be coupled with leaving on appropriate lights e.g, in the living room, with curtains drawn. Until advised otherwise by a Fire Safety Officer, I would have said put the television on too, but apparently, unattended TV’s pose a potent fire hazard.

For longer periods of absence, like holidays, especially during summer, cut the lawn – untended lawns can indicate that you’re away! Obviously, lock garden tools and attractive items like bikes in your shed / garage and don’t forget to cancel the milk and papers.

When going on holiday it’s prudent to make arrangements with your neighbours to keep an eye on your property. The trade – off of course, is that you will return the favour when they need it. Your neighbour can remove freebie papers and mail from your letter box and if you trust them enough, enter your home to switch radios and lights on , and open and close curtains. All of these actions can help create the illusion that your home is occupied. This can be enhanced by having your neighbour park their car on your drive.

If you’re nervous about leaving a house key with a neighbour, remember you probably won’t have a choice if your home is protected by a burglar alarm. This is because in order to get a Police response when the alarm goes off, it’s a condition that you make arrangements to nominate a keyholder t

ision on too, but apparently, unattended TV’s pose a potent fire hazard.

For longer periods of absence, like holidays, especially during summer, cut the lawn – untended lawns can indicate that you’re away! Obviously, lock garden tools and attractive items like bikes in your shed / garage and don’t forget to cancel the milk and papers.

When going on holiday it’s prudent to make arrangements with your neighbours to keep an eye on your property. The trade – off of course, is that you will return the favour when they need it. Your neighbour can remove freebie papers and mail from your letter box and if you trust them enough, enter your home to switch radios and lights on , and open and close curtains. All of these actions can help create the illusion that your home is occupied. This can be enhanced by having your neighbour park their car on your drive.

If you’re nervous about leaving a house key with a neighbour, remember you probably won’t have a choice if your home is protected by a burglar alarm. This is because in order to get a Police response when the alarm goes off, it’s a condition that you make arrangements to nominate a keyholder t

il from your letter box and if you trust them enough, enter your home to switch radios and lights on , and open and close curtains. All of these actions can help create the illusion that your home is occupied. This can be enhanced by having your neighbour park their car on your drive.

If you’re nervous about leaving a house key with a neighbour, remember you probably won’t have a choice if your home is protected by a burglar alarm. This is because in order to get a Police response when the alarm goes off, it’s a condition that you make arrangements to nominate a keyholder to reset it.

One of the best ways of ensuring that everyone in your street looks out for one another is to set up a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

The idea is that each participant agrees to install good security at home and to mark their property. The security extends into the street by fixing Neighbourhood Watch signs to street lamps. Participants are also encouraged to make and maintain contact with the Police and to report suspicious incidents to them.

I’ve set up many Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the past and can endorse the claim made by the national parent organisation, that burglary is greatly reduced in the areas where they operate. So, contact your local Police to set one up now!

This concludes my series of home security articles. For more information on ways to greatly reduce your risk of burglary refer to my resource box