5 Ways to stay one step ahead of the burglars this Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, a time of giving and visiting loved ones. This time of  year often leaves your home empty and even though there is good Christmas spirit around at the moment as everybody counts down the final few days of work and school, remember that it’s the season of giving for you but the season of taking for burglars.

The Gardaí revealed that burglaries increase by around 20% after the clocks go back every year and the final weeks leading up to Christmas are always some of the busiest for burglars. To help protect your home this Christmas, we have compiled a quick list of simple but effective ways you can stay one step ahead of the burglars.

• Don’t let deliveries stack up

There’s a good chance that you’re getting more deliveries than ever especially coming up to Christmas; 34% of people in a recent poll in the Journal said they plan on doing all of their Christmas shopping online. It’s important you don’t let piles of deliveries stack up on your front porch, as a passing-by burglar may believe you’re not home and could try their luck.

If someone is working from home, make sure they keep an eye out for deliveries. If nobody is home, you can instruct the delivery driver to give the items to a neighbour you know will be home.

You can also add an external camera or a doorbell to the front of your home to keep an eye out for deliveries. Our external cameras come with motion detection so that you’re alerted when someone is at the door and our doorbell cameras have two-way audio so you can communicate with the delivery driver.

•  Light up and lock up

Whenever you leave your home, even if it is to just visit a neighbour or go for a quick walk, always remember to lock up all doors / windows and light up your home in the evening. Leaving external Christmas lights on or even just a living room light / lamp on where you’re out can give the illusion that someone is in and will make a burglar move to find an unoccupied home. Remember they’re always trying to make their crime as quick and as easy as possible, even just leaving a light on could help protect your home this Christmas.

• Don’t leave anything on show in the window

Burglars like to work under the cover of darkness in the winter months with the most common times to strike are between 4pm and 9pm. It’s believed that many burglars will scope out houses in the day time and return when it’s dark to break-in. Make sure you don’t leave anything valuable in eye shot of someone passing by. Expensive gifts on the tree or on the window could invite an intruder to target your home. Having a tree in the window is fine, but keep gifts hidden.

• Social media posting

One that is relevant all year round, but especially important at Christmas, is to be careful what you post on social media. Burglars are known to keep an eye on social media accounts and with many people leaving their accounts public, anyone can see what you post. If you post that you’re heading across the country to stay with relatives over Christmas, that is advertising to burglars that your home will be empty. Also be careful posting about new expensive items; If a thief sees you have high value items like a new iPhone or laptop, they could make targeting you home a priority.

• Set your alarm system

Nothing protects your home as much as your monitored alarm system. HomeSecure customers are proven to be over 8.5 times saver than the national average, as burglars look for an easier place to target. If you leave your home, even for a short period set your system to Away, arming all doors, windows and motion sensors.

Even when you’re home, especially in the evening, we recommend setting the Stay Mode. This arms your perimeter sensors, but disables motions, so your family can walk around knowing they’re secure.

Remember, even if you forget to lock a door, once your system is armed (stay or away mode) the system will go off if someone tries to gain entry and our monitoring station will be alerted.

Unsure if you set your system? Just take out your app and check the status. You can always set the system from your app as well, if you’re in set to the Stay Mode and if you’re out arm the Away Mode. Protecting your world, no matter where you are!

All of the staff here at HomeSecure wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

If you’re looking to secure your home this Christmas with a monitored alarm system call us on 01 920 3787.