The Christmas preparations frenzy sometimes makes us forget the basic safety rules. We leave our car unlocked in a shop’s car park; we run out of the house without taking the key out of the lock; we drive halfway across town without our seatbelts fastened; we buy cheaply and in a hurry, without checking the approvals and certificates of the decorations or gifts. It is easy to have a mishap on the street, in a shop and in one’s own home.
How can we minimise the risk of theft from our home when we are away?
What do thieves most often steal?
Things that are easy to carry away – money, jewellery, small electronic equipment, small valuable gadgets. Burglars perform a reconnaissance of the area before the heist. They familiarise themselves with the layout of the flat and the surroundings of the house, so they know what items they are going for in which room. They have a few minutes to collect valuables without arousing suspicion or generating noise, check typical storage locations for cash and gold or silver.
How do we secure money, jewellery and electronics?
In addition to securing our home, we can still secure our possessions using the following hints:
▪ deposit money in a bank,
▪ leave money and jewellery with people you trust,
▪ write down the serial numbers of your electronics and permanently mark such items; photograph the markings.
Don’t leave a laptop on the living room table or jewellery in the bedside table – these are the first places a thief will look.
How to secure your home against theft
The basic thing is, of course, to close the windows and doors and pull down the blinds if you have them. Likewise, remember the windows and doors in the garage, cellar, storage room, etc. It is worth investing in a decent, certified door with the appropriate security level and suitable locks. Any lock can be defeated, but the more time it takes for a burglar to do so, the more time we or the neighbours have to notice and call for assistance.
Keep an eye out for people or vehicles that appear several times in the area and seem to be simply observing what is going on around you with no particular purpose. If you notice suspicious behaviour, let your neighbours know too – the more people who are aware of unusual occurrences in the area, the greater the chance that someone will react quickly and inform the police if necessary.
Neighbours can be a strong defence against theft. If you have a friendly relationship with them, you can leave them one set of keys to your flat and ask them to come in once a day and, for example, turn on the light in the afternoon or evening. This way, a potential thief watching the flat may get the impression that the property is not empty.
It is also worth considering smart building technologies that allow you to remotely control the lights, TV or blinds. This builds a sense that someone is in the flat. The use of cameras in flats is also becoming commonplace. It is also worth raising the subject of CCTV with the building or community manager to keep an eye on common areas. Sometimes the mere presence of such devices acts as a deterrent. By linking the cameras additionally, e.g. with a SPACE system, i.e. a remote monitoring centre, the manager will be immediately alerted to possible suspicious behaviour.
Be careful what you share
What we show in virtual life is also a very important issue. Often, we don’t even realise how easy it is to get a multitude of information about us, our lives and our home just through social media. When leaving home for Christmas, let’s refrain from posting photos of our holiday or trip to visit loved ones until we return home. By doing so, we give thieves one less clue that no one is staying in our home.
With our overall safety in mind, try not to show the interiors of our homes in published photos. By collecting such photographs from, for example, a longer period of time, a potential burglar is able to visualise the rooms we are in and draw attention to valuables. The Internet is a boon, but we must learn to use it consciously and wisely so as not to harm ourselves or our loved ones.
Other risks – fire, flooding
Before leaving for the holidays, leave your home in such a condition as to minimise the risk of breakdown or fire. Remember to:
▪ close the gas and water valves,
▪ switch off Christmas lights to avoid short circuits,
▪ turn off irons, ovens, curling irons, etc. Sometimes, in the rush of things, it is possible to forget such seemingly obvious things,
▪ putting out the candles.
Christmas is a special time of year that we should dedicate to our loved ones and what is important to us. Let’s focus on a peaceful Christmas, due rest and recuperation for the new year!
