If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to experience theft in your home, then you will sadly know the mental implications far outweigh the cost of replacing what has been stolen. The reality is that while we may view our home as a place of sanctuary, intruders simply see your possessions as pound signs.
In addition, antisocial behaviour may cause a nuisance locally and leave you feeling afraid to leave your home after dark. Hence, there are so many reasons why securing your property through various means is of huge benefit to yourself and the wider community.
So whether you’ve just moved into your property, or if you have recently become concerned about crime in your area and want to protect your home, here is our guide to starting your home security from scratch to tell you everything you need to know.
UK Crime Stats
- 5.7 million crimes were reported in England & Wales in 2020
- Approximately 3.3 million of the crimes reported involved theft
- A burglary takes place every 108 seconds in the UK
- Most burglaries occur between 10 am – 3 pm
- The average value of items stolen during a burglary is £1,840
Most Common Items Stolen During A Burglary*
- Jewellery
- Wallet/bank cards
- TV
- Computer
- Watch
- Mobile phone
- Games console
- Camera
- Phone
- Tools
**Information courtesy of Money Supermarket
CCTV
CCTV (closed-circuit television) should be something that every homeowner has installed, monitoring activity around any possible points of entry for potential thieves. Namely, this includes garden gates, front doors, windows and back gates.
For an extremely secure system, home CCTV monitoring is connected to a control centre at all times. This means if unusual activity is detected action can immediately be taken, which includes sending a verbal warning to the individual and calling the police.
Here at RE:SURE, our cameras also set up an exclusion zone around your property, which is especially ideal for remote detached properties. As a result, if anyone approaches your property even from afar and they begin to gravitate towards it, our cameras will pick up this meaning you don’t have to wait until they are physically in your home, as would be the case with a burglar alarm.
Smart Door Bell
Thou shall not pass when one has a smart doorbell. That’s because you can view who is at the door via video, even if you’re out getting your shopping as the device is linked to your phone. You can clearly communicate with them, meaning you do not have to open the door.
If you are going to be away on holiday, you can assign trusted people to monitor the activity of your doorbell, or simply get peace of mind that you can always view what is going on at home.
Physical Security Measures
Many of the latest security gadgets have a digital component, which is extremely useful in being able to transmit images wherever you are and send the information to the police.
But don’t forget that physical measures help secure your property and its perimeters on a more basic level. It is often the visible appearance of such measures that will deter thieves, and even if they do proceed, the physical exertion will make their attempts a lot more difficult if not impossible to achieve.
Fences
A great place to start is to consider your fence – namely how easy it would be for someone to climb over it. In the UK, fences can legally be 6ft 6” high or up to 8ft with planning permission. It’s also possible to choose fences that have spikes or similar burglar deterrent features on top of them, which can be created in a way that remains aesthetically pleasing.
Windows & Doors
When it comes to your windows and doors, make sure these are up to date featuring a comprehensive lock system, such as smart lock doors or multi-point locks for windows. It’s also possible to add physical locks on conservatory door handles.
Triple or secondary glazing adds another layer for intruders to have to break through, while also improving the energy efficiency of your home at the same time. If your windows are currently single glazed, this is a security risk. Though government grants are available to upgrade such windows to a minimum of double glazing for energy saving purposes.
Also consider adding blinds and shutters to your windows and doors, which will add privacy and reduce the ability for criminals to be able to see through your windows.
Security Lighting
Place motion sensor activated lighting around your home so that if anyone approaches your property or vehicle, they will instantly be illuminated. It’s also a good idea to have lighting over your front door along with a spyhole or camera so that you don’t open the door to undesirables.
An added bonus of the lighting is that it will make your CCTV pictures a lot clearer especially at night.
Additional Security Top Tips
Be mindful that wheelie bins can be used to gain access to the upper floors of your property. Consider keeping them in a locked bin shed rather than leaving them outside your home.
Do not advertise that you are out of the house or on holiday on social media. Doing so will alert potential thieves that your home is vacant, and may also invalidate your home insurance.
Join your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme or consider starting your own if there aren’t any in your area. This can help boost vigilance locally, as it is the largest voluntary crime movement in the UK with over 2.3 million members.
Get CCTV For My Property
It’s essential that every homeowner takes measures to protect their property, and continues to review these as needed so that the steps are up to date and effective. CCTV remains one of the best ways of protecting your home, especially when it is remote CCTV as we offer here at RE:SURE.
If you are interested in getting remote CCTV monitoring services to protect your home or business, get in touch on IRE 01 691 7100 | UK 028 8676 1183 and our friendly team will be more than happy to help.