DNA Security September 24, 2018 News
shadow of a burglar

It’s a topic we have talked about before, but one that we cannot stress enough: protecting your home from burglars. With a recent BBC story on the rise in burglaries and drop in convictions, we felt it was worth discussing again to make sure that everyone’s home and their belongings are safe and secure. In summary, the figures quoted in the report highlight a 6% rise in reports of burglary across England and Wales, coupled with a 33% drop in the number of charges brought against offenders. So what can you do to make sure your home is secure and what is it that burglars are really looking for?

What is valuable to a burglar

We may think that valuables such as flat-screen or plasma TVs, laptops, and jewellery are valuable. While jewellery always will be, burglars are savvy to what is of value on the market and they know what to take and what to leave behind. However, a large TV or laptop may not be as important to them. Or at least not for the reasons you think.

Burglars want to fly under the radar as much as possible. Carrying a TV out of a house is too obvious so they are more likely to leave that behind. Similarly, if your laptop is not of a particularly high specification, it may not be the first thing they look at.

There is a big ‘but’ here though. Laptops also contain a lot of information which could be of value. Documents carrying sensitive data that they could use to clone your identity are useful to them. The same applies to any external hard drives or memory sticks. And let us not forget the priceless value to us of the once-in-a-lifetime photos that are stored on these devices – none of us would want to lose these.

Other things that they can use and carry out easily include:

  • Passports
  • Any paperwork lying around which includes your sensitive data – date of birth, address, etc.
  • Collections – think vinyl or books or anything else that may be of value to another collector
  • Jewellery
  • Money
  • Credit and debit cards

Keep your home safe from burglars

How do you keep your home safe? We have talked before about the measures you can take to physically secure your home and you can refresh your memory with this article. A few other things to keep in mind, and ones that the eagle eyes of seasoned burglars are not going to miss, include:

  • Locks that are not used. If you’re not using a lock on your front or back door, such as a deadbolt, on a regular basis it will accumulate dust and cobwebs. To a burglar this is a dead giveaway that breaking in will be easy.
  • Alarm systems that are not used. Similarly, you may have an alarm system installed but only use it when you are away for longer periods of time. Again, it will accumulate dust letting potential burglars know that getting in won’t be too tricky. If it’s installed, use it. Every single time you leave the house. Even to pop down to the shops. In the time it takes you to do your shopping they can be in and out, costing you thousands of pounds in damage, lost valuables, and time to rectify the harm they can inflict on your life.

For more information on how to keep your home secure, or for a quote on installing a security alarm, talk to us at DNA Security. Our job is to keep you safe and all you have to do is give us a call on 01424 718 844 and one of our security experts will talk you through your options.