Home Safety: the importance of keeping your property secure

According to the Office of National Statistics, the number of property crimes has been decreasing year-on-year since a peak in the mid-nineties. This is great news for everyone who is concerned about the security of their home but you should never be complacent: there were still over 32,000 burglaries in the UK in July of this year.

Most burglaries take place in properties that are poorly secured. Why would a burglar target an alarmed house with secure access points and security lights? There’s no shortage of houses with unlocked doors and open ground floor windows.

Consider the points of access to your property and home. These include:

• Gates (access to your front and rear gardens)
  
• Doors (your front door and any side or back doors)
  
• Garage (some garages have an access to the house)
  
• Windows (upper and ground floors)
  

Gates are often just on a latch, but you might want to consider installing a bolt that can be padlocked. This won’t stop the determined intruder, but most burglars are chancers looking for an easy opportunity. Don’t provide them with one.

It should go without saying that doors should be locked at night and whenever the property is empty. Don’t leave a spare key under a plant pot by the back door, not even so your neighbour can water your spider plants while you’re enjoying a fortnight’s holiday in the Algarve.

Your garage may contain valuable tools as well as your car and a burglar is less likely to be disturbed by a householder when rooting around in the garage. A secure garage door is essential.

Windows should be shut and secured whenever the property is vacated. It may be nice to have some cool air coming through on hotter nights but make sure all the ground floor windows are shut before you go to bed. 

Remember, unless you live above a jeweller, you are not unlikely to be targeted by a professional cat burglar. Far more likely to be a chancer who will try every door in a dark street. Make sure yours is not the one that opens!

At Automated Garage Doors and Gates we pride ourselves on offering our customers only the very best products available on the market. We are one of the 400 companies approved by the Secured by Design scheme, so you can be confident that our products meet the highest design and security standards.

If you would like any information about the security of our doors and gates, do not hesitate to contact us on 01603 787069 or drop into our Norwich showroom on Sweet Briar Industrial Estate. Our team will be happy to talk you through our range of products and explain the principles of the Secured by Design scheme.