Home Security Over Christmas
Christmas is a special time of the year when friends and family come together to celebrate the festive season. Sadly, as our attention is diverted to decorating trees, shopping for gifts and travelling to visit loved ones, some criminals view this time as a perfect opportunity to exploit people’s vulnerability.
As the UK prepares for the festive season, an unfortunate trend is that home burglaries usually increase in the two weeks either side of 25th December. Burglars use this period to break into homes to steal cash, jewellery, credit cards, electronics, children’s gifts and anything else of value that can be sold on for profit.
Home security in London is of extra importance over the Christmas period with an estimated increase in home burglaries of around 25% compared to other months of the year.
London based security company, Intrepid Protection provides residential security services at some of London's most exclusive addresses and offers the following residential security advice to keep your home safe and secure over the Christmas period.
- Always ensure your windows are locked and secure; leave a light on and remember to lock your front door, even if you are inside. Always ensure any back gates are locked.
- Don’t openly display your Christmas tree and gifts in the front window so they’re easily visible from the street. Consider delaying putting presents around the tree until Christmas morning or position your tree so that it is out of view from the outside.
- After Christmas day, don’t leave boxes outside of your home that may advertise your new presents.
- Never leave keys inside of doors when the premises are unoccupied.
- Ensure car keys are always kept out of sight preferably inside a blocking pouch.
- Refrain from letting everyone know that you’re away from home with posts on social media sites.
- Before leaving your home, double check that all windows are locked, valuables are not on display, all tools are locked away, light timers are set and your intruder alarm system is armed.
- The best deterrent for any burglar is an active property that is occupied. Remember to make your home look busy. Make sure the curtains are opened and closed at the appropriate times, leave a light on in the hallway, leave your car parked on your driveway and be aware of a build-up of mail.
Christmas is a very special time of the year for everyone – don’t let those with bad intentions ruin it for you and your family.
Do you have concerns for the security of your property? If the answer is yes then contact a member of our team.