Christmas Security Tips

5 Ways to Protect Your Home this Festive Season

Here we are again looking forward to another festive season. It’s a time of good cheer, family time and happiness. It’s also a time for shopping, with the weeks leading up to Christmas accounting for 70 per cent of retailers’ annual revenue.

Traditionally Christmas is when our tech gadgets, electronics and jewellery collections multiply. However, it is also the time of year when opportunistic thieves step up their game in order to take advantage of the richer pickings that the season brings.

It is a time to be extra vigilant, and to this end we are offering you our security experts’ five top tips on how to safeguard your home this Christmas.

1.     Festive lighting – think it through

This time of year people go to great lengths to add sparkle to their homes. If you love to adorn the outside of your home with dazzling Christmas lights however, you need to take great care not to create in-roads for intruders. Instead of running cables through windows and leaving them partially open and unlocked, go for battery operated or solar powered lighting. For larger displays, consider having an external electrical outlet installed so that you can power up from the outside. Be aware that 30 per cent of burglaries happen through windows.

2.     Gift packaging – think before you throw

Your new 58-inch smart OLED TV; the laptop you bought your eldest; the games station your youngest had to have. Whatever it is your family has acquired this Christmas, be sure not to advertise it by leaving the packaging on display outside your property. Remember that refuse collections are disrupted over the festive period, so if you can’t take your packaging to a recycling point, break it down, turn it inside out and fold it up so it’s not obvious what was in it, or stash it in the shed or garage until the day of the collection.

3.     Out of sight, out of mind

Never leave gifts on show. If you can see them from the outside, so can an opportunistic thief. It is best to keep presents locked away and out of sight of prying eyes up until the big day. If you can, store them in the loft or a locked cupboard and secure anything of particular value such as jewellery or tech gadgets in a safe. Be sure to close curtains at night because a well-decorated home sends messages to thieves that you are geared up for Christmas and are likely to have gifts somewhere in the home.

4.     Take note on couriers

Most Christmas shoppers make use of the internet these days, but of course that means a constant stream of parcel deliveries coming your way. If you’re not going to be in when a parcel is due, do not under any circumstances leave a note on the door for the courier. Opportunistic thieves scan neighbourhoods for such notes, which basically say, “I’m not in right now”. If you can’t arrange a delivery for when you are in, make arrangements to have the parcels left in a safe place or with a neighbour, or have them delivered to your work address.

5.     Register with a national property database

Immobilise is the UK’s national property register. It is a police Secured by Design service which allows you to register your property for free. The police are able to access the database and search it if they recover suspected stolen property, which means there is a good possibility that you could be reunited with anything you’ve had taken. Their slogan is, ‘get it logged, get it back’. This service is great for recording gifts you’ve received that have unique identifiers such as serial or IMEI numbers. If your gifts don’t have an identifier, opt for the Smart Water property marketing system instead.

Home Security Advice from Barry Bros Security

If you are looking to boost the security of your home this festive season, or have decided to review your home security measures for the forthcoming New Year, why not talk to Barry Bros Security? With over 60 years’ experience in home security solutions, our experts are well placed to provide you with the tailored advice you need to safeguard what matters to you.