Top tips to combat burglary

Did you know that the City Of Bristol is one of the 10 worst places in the country for burglaries?
There were 8,575 burglaries between 2008 and 2009 which accounted for roughly 20 burglaries per 1000 households.

As expected for it’s size, Londoners have the highest risk of having their homes burgled, with 46.35 burglaries per 1000 people.
The area which has the lowest rate is Ceredigion in Wales, where the lucky residents have a miniscule 2.84 burglaries per 1000 people.

Although national statistics of burglaries have dropped, a study by the Yorkshire Bank revealed that shockingly 1 in 4 households in the UK have no contents insurance and 1 in 3 have no buildings cover.

This means that if you are one of these people and your home gets broken into, you have to fork out for the expenses, causing even more grief and hassle.

With most of us happily off on our summer holidays, home security is sometimes one of the last things on our minds but before you go jetting away to the sunshine, sand and sangria, you’re going to want to look at this.

Here, we uncover some simple, cost-effective steps to protect your home from burglars.

Whether you’re a city slicker or a rural resident, deterring burglars is essential and the good news is, adding extra security measures to your home can lower the cost of your home insurance.

Devious Deterrents

First things first, the clichés must be tackled. Believe it or not many people still leave spare keys under the front door mat, if you do this you might as well leave a nice note to the burglar saying ‘help yourself to my belongings’.
Instead, give a spare key to a very well trusted neighbour, so they can come to your rescue if you ever get locked out.
I shouldn’t have to say this, but never leave windows open when you’re out. Even if it is blisteringly hot, you might end up coming home to a cool but empty house.

Simple Measures

The way your home looks from the outside can determine if a burglar wants to get inside.
If your house is on a busy street and you have lots of neighbours, you should ideally make your front garden open and exposed so your neighbours can clearly see your property. Adding gravel to your garden creates a natural intruder alarm and B&Q sell 800kg bags, delivered for about £70
Rose bushes also work well as a further obstacle because of their sharp and inconvenient thorns.
Fitting an outdoor light is also a great security measure and you can pick up an outdoor flood light for less than £50 or try eBay for some second hand bargains.
Having a canine companion is proven to lower your chances of getting burgled. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your Chihuahua Princess Bubbles will fend off intruders, but having a dog or the apparent presence of a dog works well. Of course, if you’re serious about getting a dog, then it’s crucial to check out the costs involved and understand the responsibility of having a pet!
The cheaper alternative is to get a realistic sounding, electronic dog barking motion alarm whioch Amazon sell for about £50. You can also buy a ‘beware of the dog’ signs cheaply from a DIY or pet store.

Electronic Security

If you want to really improve the security of your home and lower your house insurance cost, then you might want to invest in a more high-tech deterrent.
A well placed CCTV camera can put off even the most determined thief and you can get one for about £100. You could also buy a convincing dummy camera for less than £20 online.
Installing a burglar alarm will lower your home insurance but can be expensive.
If you can’t afford to get a full alarm system a good alternative (well, better than nothing!) would be to invest in a dummy alarm box, which can be picked up at Wickes for less than £15.

So whether you live in a burgle hot-spot or not, take the time to assess how secure your home really is.
It could end up saving you a packet!

Got any tips for detering burglars? Why not let us know by leaving a comment.