Burglar alarm area indicator (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here are some useful tips for when you go on holiday to ensure that on your return, you are less likely to get a nasty surprise!

1. Make your home look occupied.  Recruit the help of a family member or neighbour to draw your curtains in the evening and following morning.  Ask them to remove any deliveries of mail that might be visible, or use the Royal Mail ‘Keepsafe’ service.  Have a radio or a suitable light eg. hall or upstairs landing on a timer switch set to come on at an appropriate time.
2. Cancel deliveries of newspapers, milk, veg. boxes etc., by phone – not in the shop!  You never know who might be listening – remember ‘Walls have ears’?
3. Make sure any valuable items, especially laptops and car keys are safely out of sight.
4. Consider using a home safe for any really important documents or small valuable items.
5. Security mark valuable items so that should they be stolen, they can be identified as yours.  Use SelectaDNA or CREMark for the most secure and durable marking.  UV Marker pens are OK but the marks don’t last forever.
6. Check that your House & Contents Insurance is up-to-date and covers your absence.
7. Invite one of your neighbours to use your front drive if it is easily accessible.
8. Mow your lawn BEFORE you go – it makes the house look occupied and is less of a chore when you get home.  If you are away for any length of time, get someone to mow it for you whilst you are away!
9. Ensure that ladders and garden tools that could be used to force an entry to your home are securely locked away.
10. Lock all doors and windows, garage and sheds before you leave.
11. Set any security alarm when you finally leave the house, and if it is a monitored alarm, don’t forget to let the monitoring company know who holds the key.
12. Finally, if you are a member of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, ask your immediate neighbours to keep an eye on your property whilst you are away.

The Crime Prevention website has a useful checklist http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/b/384/crime-prevention-news/2013/may/03/holiday-security-checklist–a-must-for-trippers/

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