As half term (and hopefully better weather) approaches it is time to begin thinking about security in and around your home. Whether you are simply going out for the day or lucky enough to be going away on a short holiday a would-be thief or burglar will be fully aware that there is a good chance that a house is going to be unoccupied.

It’s a fallacy to think that most burglaries only happen at night, they don’t, although they can happen at any time they are far more likely to be during the day than at night when they could so easily be stopped by a passing police patrol car. A burglar is unlikely to simply smash a window and hope that nobody is home, they will spend a bit of time observing the front of the property and will even ring at the door to see if anyone answers. Their next move is to check the rear garden area and look for a suitable window or door to gain entry. Much safer to work in the back than to risk being spotted trying to break in through the front!

Now you know what they will do, what precautions can you take to put them off?

The first things on this list are fairly obvious:

If you have a burglar alarm remember to set it! Pretty obvious I know but you would be surprised at how many people forget or think it is not necessary because they are only going to be away from the house for a few hours.

Stop the milk and papers and ask a neighbour to check the house regularly to remove the post and put it somewhere out of sight. A thief will always look through the letter plate to see if mail is building up on the floor – a dead givaway.

Ensure that any side gate is locked if possible. If they have to start climbing over fences to get into the back of the house it makes things just that bit harder for them.

Lock up sheds and garages securely, making sure that valuable garden machinery and tools are properly secured and NEVER leave a pair of ladders or other tools sitting around to help the thief get in.

If you have recently bought a nice new computer or flat screen TV – NEVER leave the empty packaging outside, it is a sure invitation that there is something worth stealing inside.

Lock all doors and windows securely, and don’t leave the keys to the windows in view. The aim is to stop making it easy for them.

If you haven’t got one, buy a plug in timer switch so that you can plug a lamp into it to turn on during the evening. Best to purchase one of the digital type of timers that allow different times on different days, otherwise a good burglar will notice that the light comes on at exactly the same time every day!

An upgrade to the timer switch, is to buy an inexpensive Fake-TV which is a clever little gadget that flashes in different colours and formations flickering in such a way that from outside the house, it looks genuinely as if the TV is on. The Fake-TV has a built in timer device or can be set to operate at any given time after dusk. A burglar knows that if the TV is on, then somebody must be at home watching it. Obvious really.

That’s it, Crime Prevention Products sincerely hopes that you will keep safe.