How To Burglar-Proof Your Home. Before you're safely knustled into bed at night. But be careful not to make it too funny, or the burglar might just die laughing. Burglar Proof Your Home. Your home is a place where you should always feel safe and secure. Leave your lights on in a bathroom or turn on a few night-lights throughout the house when you go out or to bed. Burglar-proof; burgle; chaos. A scatological and cannibal. A man is asleep in his Murphy bed when a burglar enters the room. The sleeping man wakes up and releases a lever which folds the bed into the wall. He fires a gun through the wall at the burglar, who surrenders.
How to burglar proof your home. Having your home broken into can be traumatic and expensive and it’s a widespread crime in Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show that during 2. The Australian Institute of Criminology also reports that burglary in Australia is estimated to be higher than the international average and that 3. Australians believed that it was likely their house would be burgled in the forthcoming year. So how can you make sure it doesn’t happen to you? A great deal of property theft is opportunistic – thieves taking advantage of the fact your home is easily entered or obviously empty.
How to Burglar-Proof Your House. According to security expert Queenie Mason, a home burglary happens every 15 seconds in the United Sates. In addition, only 15 percent of stolen property is ever recovered. These statistics may. Inexpensive Ways to Theft-Proof Your Home. Make a burglar's job more difficult and time-consuming by locking the door itself.
So here are 7 practical steps you can take to make it harder to be broken into. Secure your home. It sounds obvious, but make sure your home is secured when you go out or go to bed. Fitting keyed locks to all your windows and double- keyed deadlocks on doors means thieves can only leave the same way they got in, making it harder for them to steal big items like TV’s and music systems. Installing bolts on sliding doors and getting a good quality lockable screen adds a further barrier of protection.
Even if you are at home in the day be aware that it only takes seconds for someone to walk in and take something, while you are in another part of the property. True story: Kate’s laptop was taken from her inner city’s home study, while she popped to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.“I had metal bars on the window, which faced the main street, so I thought it was safe, but the thief put their hand through the bars and just lifted the laptop through the space – I couldn’t believe it could happen so quickly. The police explained to me that thieves are always looking for an opportunity.”2. Don’t leave keys outside.
While most of us know not to leave a key outside, we often still do! Thieves know all the hiding spots - under the mat, on a window ledge, under plant pots, in the letterbox or meter box – so don’t take the risk, even just as a one off. If you want to have a spare key available in case of emergencies leave a key with a neighbour or friend. It’s also a good idea not to give out keys to workmen or tradespeople. Keys are easily copied. Fast Fact: Data from the ABS - In 1. Australian break- ins in 2.
Install an alarm. Security alarms are proven to be the most effective way to deter thieves, and the most effective alarms are ones that can be seen from the street. Buy one from a reputable company. Burglars can easily get past cheap or dummy ones. Lock back and side gates.
Back and side entrances allow out of sight access to your home making it a dream run for thieves to break and enter away prying eyes so make sure they are locked too. True story: At 2. Colin woke to a man climbing in through his ground level bedroom window, which opened onto a narrow lane way up the side of his semi.
When I challenged him he said he had thought it was his house! After that I had window locks installed.”5. Lock garden sheds and garages. Sheds are full of tools and things that thieves can use to break into your home so make sure you lock them as well as doors between the house and garage. Don’t leave valuables like bikes, kayaks, and lawnmowers outside even while you’re at home – thieves will take them too. Install movement- activated sensor lights.
Trim trees and plants that are close to windows and doors as they provide cover for thieves. Sensor lights will help to deter thieves.
Don’t advertise that you’re away. Being away makes your property more vulnerable to theft.
Try and keep your home looking as lived in as possible. Get a neighbour to collect mail so that it’s not obvious you are away. Be careful not to advertise on Facebook or other social media that you leaving on a trip. Same goes for advertising expensive items on sites like Gumtree. Be prepared. Prevention is key in securing your property against theft, but it’s also good to be prepared if the worst does happen. Keep a list of valuable items so you can easily identify what’s been stolen and back up computer files on a hard drive and keep it secure. Finally make sure your home contents insurance policy is up to date and that it covers you for everything you would like to be replaced if it got stolen or damaged.
More information. Visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website for 2. Break- in and attempted break- in. Download Burglary: prevalence in Australia and overseas - 2. The Australian Institute of Criminology.
Disclaimer: To see if NRMA Home Contents Insurance is right for you, always read the Product Disclosure Statement from the product issuer, Insurance Australia Limited trading as NRMA Insurance.