Home Security

Does your home have any or all of the following:
     
 

• Good window and door locks and bolts?

• A door viewer in the door or a small pane of glass so that you can see who is outside without having to open the door?

• A door chain or small bar which stops the door from being fully opened until released?

• A safe place to put the keys out of sight?

• A light outside which comes on when you approach the house?

• An alarm fitted to the interior of the house?

• A good lock on your garden shed?

• A good system of storing your toys and bicycles etc in safety?

• A good system of storing garden tools and ladders etc in a safe way?

• Is your property marked and post coded with an ultra violet pen or bar code labels?

• Do you use timer switches when you go away for a few days? Are these twenty four hour timer or seven day timer switches?

• Do you always cancel the papers and milk and other deliveries when you go away for a few days? Do you have a system which deals with your junk mail whilst you are away?

• Do you have a smoke alarm which is working in your home?

• Do you have a fire safety escape plan in case there is a fire whilst you and your family are in the home?

 
What a burglar looks for when choosing their property
 

• A home which appears to be empty
• Easy access to the back of the building
• Trees and high bushes in surrounding area which provide good cover
• Homes with no visible signs of protection such as alarms or lighting.

 When they’ve chosen a property they will:

• Look through the windows to see inside
• Check if any neighbours are watching

 

Over the last five years, burglary in the West Midlands has nearly halved, we want to make sure numbers continue to fall.

 

Use the link below to see how secure your house is;

 

www.homeoffice.gov.uk/secureyourhome/questionnaire/form.php

 
 

How can you make sure it is safe from an opportunist crime? What sort of precautions can you take?