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AB13 Protecting your home from crime

When moving home it is important to find a property for sale in a zone that is safe and one that you feel comfortable in.

With a little care many burglaries are preventable. The majority of these crimes are opportunist and do not involve breaking in as in around 90% of burglaries the burglar enters through a door or window that has been left open or unlocked.  Burglars hate locked windows and deadlocked doors that cannot be opened from inside the house. Here are just a few of the precautions that you can take to protect your home from crime.

Just because most burglars are strangers to their victim doesn’t mean that all strangers are potential burglars, that would be silly, but you do need to be alert if you see a stranger wandering around or loitering in your street. He might just be looking for the opportunity of an open window. It is surprising how small a window some burglars can get through, all it needs is a gap a little larger than a human head for some of the more agile ones. All windows need locks and they need to be kept locked.

Burglar alarms are always a good idea and you should ensure that they are visible to any potential burglar. Deterrence is a good strategy and if they see that you have an alarm they will almost certainly move on to somewhere that does not.

Doors should be secure and should not have the kind of lock that can be opened from inside. Always ensure that your doors have double deadlocks.nd try to use composite doors. If possible, then it can pay to have a door that includes a metal panel so that it cannot be kicked in. And don’t leave any keys lying about. It is also a good idea to have a spy hole in the door so that you can check out any strangers before you open it. A chain guard is also a useful precaution, but they are not failsafe and are easily breached with moderate force.

It is a good idea to keep a light on when you are away from home. If you will be away for some time, then it is worthwhile to get some timers which will switch your lights off an on at various times of the day and night.