How to secure your home and prevent burglary

Wednesday, 9 March 2011 3:39 PM

We’ve all been touched in one way or another by burglary. We hear accounts from friends or family, unfortunate neighbours, or even experience it ourselves. Whatever we've been told about burglary, we all know that it is an experience far from pleasant. Not only do victims lose expensive and often sentimentally valuable possessions, but they lose the feeling of security that should be an integral part of being 'at home'.

While we’d hope never to have to use it, buying a comprehensive home insurance policy is one way of instilling peace of mind (comparison sites like MoneySupermarket.com are useful if you want to check you’re getting the best deal).

But of course, prevention is better than cure, so what can we do to protect our homes and create that all-important sense of security?

The Home Office sends out the message that burglary is a crime of opportunity, and on the crime prevention section of its website, there's practical advice about how to secure your home. Meanwhile, Operation Bumblebee, a Metropolitan Police crackdown on burglary in the city of London, urges homeowners to "think like a burglar".

Don't give burglars an easy ride

At the beginning of this year, Adam Coaker, a burglar from Caversham in Reading, was caught on CCTV and sentenced to four years in prison for his activities as a "prolific burglar". On one spree, he was aided by implements he found around the garden, as well as a lack of home security implemented by the homeowner.

Coaker had also attempted to raid a house around the corner, but was put off when he found that the UVPC window he smashed with a nearby brick was locked and he was unable to gain entry with ease. This story is a staunch warning to homeowners, and highlights that the implementation of simple security measures will quickly deter a burglar.

As part of Operation Bumblebee, the Metropolitan Police has issued useful advice highlighting the aspects that most effectively alert burglars to your home’s plunder potential. These include having a concealed front entrance, low boundaries at the rear of the property, an absence or concealment of intruder alarms and/or security lighting, clear sight into the house and what's inside, open or unsecured windows and garage doors, unlocked sheds and paved paths or driveways.

The police work with victims of burglary around the UK, adding police-approved locks to doors and ensuring homes are kept secure. A combination of simple, commonsense security measures in and around the home, coupled with the peace of mind of a home insurance policy, can vastly reduce the amount of damage and financial loss caused by burglary in the UK.

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Tags:
• crime
,
• home security
,
• possessions insurance