’tis the season….Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, traveling, visitors, break-ins…
Yep, I said it. The B word. BREAK-INS.
Unfortunately this is the time of year that as many of us prepare for the holidays, traveling, celebrating with family and friends, someone else is preparing to make our holiday one we won’t forget.
There are times you can do everything right and someone will still break into your house. However, there are many things that you can do that will make a potential burglar think twice and possibly even deter them. Here are a few tips as we get ready to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012:
- Maintain the appearance of occupancy. Never let mail and/or newspapers pile up in your mailbox or on your driveway or porch. Stop delivery or have a friend pick it up. Do not leave notes indicating your absence. Leave lights on, put lights on timers, close blinds, leave a radio on, put your TV on a timer.
- When you are going to be away, tell trusted neighbors and ask them to watch your property. Have a friend/neighbor park in your driveway.
- Good exterior lighting all around residence perimeter creates a psychological barrier. Consider motion activated light fixtures.
- Trim shrubbery away from windows, doorways and porches. Shrubbery and other barriers provide cover for burglars.
- Exterior doors should be of solid construction with secure frames and locking hardware. Use a deadbolt with at least a 1″ to 1-1/2″ bolt throw. Treat the door from the garage to inside the house as an exterior door.
- ALWAYS lock your doors and windows when leaving the house, no matter how long your house will be unattended. Burglaries have occurred while home owners are in the back yard. Do not leave doors unlocked, especially the front door, if you will be in the back yard for an extended period of time. (Over 1/3 of home burglaries are termed by police as “no force” entries. Doors or windows that are left unlocked allow easy access to the home.)
- Never hide a key near any doors. Burglars know to look for them. Burglars know about the fake rock.
- Shut and lock your garage door, sheds and outbuildings even when you are home. Many valuable items, especially bicycles, are located in garages and are easily accessible if the garage door is open. An unlocked shed or outbuilding likewise presents an easy target. The burglar can use your own tools to enter your home or take valuables.
- Windows within 12 feet of the ground should be treated as first floor windows. Windows should be working and retro-fit with cost effective locking hardware. Install a “Charlie Bar” or commercial locking device for sliding doors. Or a simple two by four in a sliding window/door can help prevent break-in.
- Install an alarm/video camera or both. Many types of alarms are now available to help foil an attempt to break into your home – from inexpensive tabletop units to professionally installed systems. Some systems sound a bell or siren outside your home to alert the neighbors and scare away the burglar. Others alert a monitoring station.
- Find an unusual place to store (hide) valuables that you do not carry with you on a daily basis. Burglars know that valuables (jewelry, cash, credit cards, etc.) are kept in bedrooms.
- Don’t advertise your new toys! If you got a really, really good, big and expensive gift for the holidays, DON”T leave the box with the trash! Cut the box up, turn it inside out, recycle it yourself.
and the number one, most important tip we can give you:
Be alert to suspicious behavior in your neighborhood and alert the Raleigh Police Department to this behavior. Suspicious people, vehicles, abandoned vehicles, should all be reported. If something/someone doesn’t seem “right”, it’s probably not. Don’t assume your neighbors have called the police.
We may not be able to completely stop burglaries or vandals in our neighborhoods, but we sure can try. Even if we prevent one house from being broken into, we have accomplished something.
Be vigilant and be safe. Happy holidays.