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How to keep your home safe these holidays

17 Nov 2015

While you may be going Christmas shopping and decking the halls with holly, it’s during this time of the year that burglars plan which homes they should attack. 

According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the Christmas holidays is the number one time of the year that criminals strike. Here are a few practical ways that you can keep your home safe.

Be careful on social media

According to former detective senior sergeant Charlie Bezzina, the biggest mistake people make in this day and age is by sharing their holiday plans on social media.

“[Telling people] that ‘we’re going to have a great time in New South Wales or Tassie’ just puts it out to millions of people that you’re going to be away,” warns Bezzina.

Ask your neighbours to help you out

It’s great to have neighbours that you can rely on and trust, says Bezzina. Rather than telling the newspaper delivery service that you’ll be gone for the holidays, ask a neighbour to collect your papers and clear out your letterboxes, so it’s not obvious to potential burglars that you’re not in your home.

“Ask them to look after your place put out your rubbish bins, put their car in your driveway or put the blinds up during the day and down in the evening. We all need to look after each other in terms of home safety and well-being,” says Bezzina.

Use good locks 

"Ensure all doors and windows are fitted with good-quality locks, especially deadlocks for doors, and don’t leave keys in the windows – thieves may smash the glass to get the key," advises Campbell Fuller from Understandinsurance.com.au

"Make sure your doors and windows are locked if you’re outside occupied with chores (such as gardening, washing the car or mowing the lawn). It takes only two minutes to break into a home and the average burglary is over in 10 minutes, according tothe Australian Institute of Criminology."

Keep your windows and doors clear

Bezzina says it’s a good idea to perhaps think about what your home looks like from a distance across the road and consider, ‘If I locked my keys in the house, how would I get in?’

“That’s what crooks are thinking when they’re looking at your house,” says Bezzina. For example, if you’ve got bushes that cover your window or door, they’ll know that it’s easier for them to not draw attention to themselves if they try to break in. It’s ideal if you can cut back anything that covers your windows and doorways so people can see your front door as easily as possible.

Use technology

Having a CCTV system set up, timed lighting or motion sensor lighting can also help in deterring burglars from breaking into your home, suggests Bezzina. And if a criminal does strike, you’ll have the footage on hand from CCTV to pass to the police and hopefully catch the thief.

“CCTVs are one of the if not the biggest deterrent and avenue of solving crime for police, apart from the alarms,” says Bezzina. “They’re in your home 24/7, they record throughout the month, they give you quality footage and they tell criminals out to keep moving along.”