School holidays are a fantastic opportunity to let our hair down … and with this break, our minds turn to getting away from the humdrum of ordinary life somewhere exotic! However, not everybody is thinking innocently of holidays in the sun and family time at school vacation … some people’s thoughts are turning to thwarting home security systems in order to make an easy escape with all your possessions.
Today we check out how back to base alarm monitoring and other smart home security tips can thwart the burglars, and let you arrive home as optimistic as when you left.
Don’t Advertise Your Absence
Although these strategies for discouraging burglars are widely known, many people become complacent. They think that it would never happen in their neighbourhood, or that it would never happen to them … and this leads people to ignore basic police security advice like:
- Not having your mail stopped, redirected or collected by a neighbour
- Leaving your garbage bin on the street on non-collection days
- Advertising your holiday well in advance on your social media profiles – especially if you are lax about your privacy settings for these
- Leaving all the lights off
Make Access Difficult
Your access to your home should always be easy. However, many people don’t realise that they are encouraging back to base alarm monitoring callouts by doing things like:
- Leaving screen doors unsecured
- Failing to maintain doors and windows properly
- Leaving gates unlocked (remember, they might be able to climb in, but if the gate is locked with a key they’ll find it difficult to get all your stuff out …)
- Not installing motion sensor lighting
- Designing your house for concealment with shrubs and fences
Visibly Mark Your Property
It’s fantastic to record the serial numbers of your most ‘tempting’ items, like televisions and other electronic equipment. However, it can be an empty sort of action if your goods go straight into another private home or are sold on the black market. Use purpose built security labels, engraving with your name and address or permanent marker writing to discourage thieves from taking expensive items.
Install Back to Base Alarm Monitoring
Back to base alarm monitoring is truly the gold standard in burglary prevention. Many other techniques will make amateur burglars think twice – and amateurs represent about 70% of the burgling population. However, if your house happens across a crim with a little more experience, your back to base alarm monitoring will detect the entry as soon as they are in the house, and have a patrol car there as fast as humanly possible!
Consider a CCTV Camera System
Like an ordinary perimeter back to base alarm, CCTV camera systems can be monitored by security professionals. However, they have the added advantage of also creating video evidence to be used in court later on. They do cost more. However, they have the added advantage of not only stopping a single burglary at your house, but either getting a crim off the streets or giving him a strong reason to find more socially acceptable employment!