Securing your home.

A little advice about securing your home from thieves.

Criminals are creatures of habit and generally use the same Modus Operandi (methods) when entering a home and searching it for valuables.

They like a point of entry from the rear if possible as this gets them away from passers by in most cases. After that the easiest entry method is to slip the frame on a pvc window and lift out a full pane of glass. People often leave shovels and spades etc around and this can assist them unfortunately .

Another recent trend is to enter via the front door where people have closed their pvc front  door  but have not lifted the handle to secure the 4 bolts generally in the door that secures the door to the frame once the key is turned. Any decent thief will slip the lock and wont even mark the door. I have come across several houses on a road being done one after the other with a transit van waiting outside for valuables ie TV sets etc.

If the door has an opening for post leave nothing visible that can be collected by a little fishing. Car and house keys are a good example of this.Best advice is have an external post box secured to the wall.

Never leave the front or back door key under the mat or close to the door as you might as well leave a welcome note for thieves as they will find anything that is not properly hidden.

The number one way and most effective deterrent to keep thieves out is to have an alarm fitted and monitored if possible. Thieves will still break in if they feel its a risk worth taking but it puts them under pressure to get in and out fast. They may be daring and locate the alarm monitor in your home and disable it as quickly as possible (pull it off the wall) and work from there. If you cant afford an alarm consider a false box for an area at a height to give the impression that there is one.

Try and have a friend or relative visit the house for you if your away and leaving an internal light on at night helps give the impression that there is someone around. Curtains should only be drawn upstairs at night and blinds can be left half way down the window so there is not a clear view inside during the day.

Don`t forget the Gardai have a vacant house register and most stations will be happy to have a patrol car drive by on and of once they know a house is vacant. 

If you have a decant garden consider a dog or just put up a sign saying beware of the dog as this too can work as a deterrent.

If you are unfortunate and have been burgled you can contact Carter Claims and Associates for advice and help as a Good Loss Assessor can be a great help in submitting an Insurance claim of this nature.

Regards,

Gerry Carter.