A burglary takes place every 106 seconds in the UK – a terrifying statistic. If you’ve ever been unlucky enough to experience a burglary, you will probably agree that losing your material possessions isn’t the worst of it. It’s the lasting trauma of having an intruder in your home that stays with most people.
Not all burglaries happen when occupants are out either. In fact, almost two thirds of burglaries happen while people are at home. And with more of us working remotely, it makes sense to tighten up security measures. So how can you improve home security in 2022?
Here are some tips on how to make your house more secure:
High security door locks are one of the most effective burglar deterrents. ONS data tells us that over three quarters of home break-ins happen with burglars gaining access through the front door – and 33% of those break-ins are done by snapping the lock!
High security locks are designed to prevent this, making it much harder for burglars to gain entry in plain sight. With high security locks, the common technique of lock-snapping is made impossible, giving you an added layer of security whether you’re at home or away.
According to research, homes without a security system have a 300% higher chance of getting broken into. Burglar alarms are a fantastic option for providing peace of mind, and can keep your home protected when you’re away for extended periods of time.
Not only do they deter burglars in the first place, but having a system installed actually improves the chances of catching thieves due to police getting notified quickly. Other benefits include increasing the value of your property and reducing your home insurance premium.
Some home security systems now incorporate CCTV to help make your property even more secure. There are many CCTV doorbells on the market too, which allow you to keep an eye on your home when you’re out. You can answer the door via audio and watch if someone is behaving suspiciously.
This type of system works well in preventing opportunist thieves from taking advantage of an empty property.
While there are many light timers available, not all of them are reliable. For instance, analogue timers come on at the same time every day (which can be a giveaway that there’s no-one home), and malfunction of the switch can render them useless. With smart lightbulbs, you have a lot more control of the environment. You can control several lightbulbs in different rooms of the house from one simple app on your mobile phone.
By setting different lights at different times, you can create a more convincing environment, one that keeps thieves at bay!
With more and more people working from home, the number of expensive electronic devices such as laptops and tablets has been on the rise. Avoid keeping valuable items close to the window, or anywhere that is visible to people outside.
The same thing applies to your social media too! A very worrying study reveals that almost 80% of burglars use social media to find their targets, using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Maps. Make your profiles private and avoid posting snaps of your expensive jewellery, watches or other purchases.
Changing your locks once every few years is important if you want to maintain home security. Old locks can stick or become faulty, which means they could be easier to tamper with. Furthermore, by getting frequent lock replacement you can eliminate the risk of your keys being copied and getting into the wrong hands.
Remember, any who has had access to your keys before (old tenants, housemates, ex-spouses, builders or contractors) could have copied them without you knowing.
Are you worried about home security? At Wakefield Lock & Key Centre, we can survey your property FREE OF CHARGE, and advise you on the most suitable high security door locks to upgrade to.
Call 01924 378444 to speak to us about high security locks or lock replacements.
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