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Tips
to make your home
secure when going on holiday
- Make sure your home
looks like someone is living in it. Don't close your curtains - in daytime
this shows the house is empty.
- Think about getting
automatic time-switches to turn your lights on when it goes dark.
- Fit mortise locks
or bolts to all outside doors and locks to all downstairs or easily
accessible windows.
- Cancel any milk
or newspaper deliveries.
- Cut the lawn before
you go and trim back any plants that burglars could hide behind.
- Get a friend or
neighbour to look after your home. They can collect your mail, mow your
lawn and so on. This gives the impression that someone is living in
your home. If you leave keys with a neighbour, don't label them with
your address.
- Don't leave valuables,
like your TV, hi-fi or video, where people can see them through windows.
- Mark any valuable
items with your postcode and house number using a property-marking pen.
If your property is stolen, this will help the police to identify it
if it is found, which might not only allow them to return it to you
but could also provide them with better evidence to convict the people
responsible.
- Make sure that you
have up-to-date contents insurance.
- Do not put your
home address on your luggage when you are travelling to your holiday
destination.
- Lock the garage
and shed with proper security locks, after putting all your tools safely
away so they cannot be used to break into your house. If you have to
leave a ladder out, put it on its side and lock it to a secure fixture
with a 'close shackle' padlock or heavy-duty chain.
- Lock all outside
doors and windows. If you have a burglar alarm, make sure it is set
and that you have told the police who has the key.
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