Haddenham is a very safe place in which to live, and we enjoy very low levels of crime compared with many towns and cities. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to take a few precautions to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime, especially over the Christmas and New Year period. So here are some helpful tips to ensure your home is secure.
Deterring thieves
Deterring would-be criminals is one of the most effective forms of crime prevention. Install motion sensing flood-lights and security mark your valuables. Consider using Immobilise window stickers warning casual thieves that your property is marked, traceable and not worth the risk of stealing!
Festive lighting
Don't allow festive lighting to make your property insecure. Don't feed extension cables through partially open windows, criminals know to look for this vulnerability so have outdoor outlets installed if you can.
Packaging disposal
Dispose of gift packaging carefully. Rubbish collections over the Christmas and New Year period are normally at different times. If you can, take packaging to a recycling point, if that is not possible make sure you only put your rubbish out just before the collection and don't forget to conceal it.
Protect your Identity
It is good practice never to dispose of receipts and personal paperwork without first shredding them. Be careful though not to shred any important warranty details and make sure documents you keep are stored somewhere secure.
Check your doors and windows
Government statistics show that 30% of burglaries happen through windows. Installing a few dead-bolts and new window hinges could increase the security of your home dramatically.
Keep valuables out of sight
Keep your curtains, drapes and window blinds closed at night, making sure valuable items are out of sight. When going out for the evening make use of inexpensive timers to give the illusion of occupancy.
Going away? Don't make it obvious
If you're going away at Christmas be sure to cancel any newspaper or milk subscriptions. Arrange for a neighbour to park on the driveway to help create the impression someone is home.
Secure your garage and garden shed
Garages are often targets for burglars looking for tools, bikes and gardening machinery. Make sure your garage and shed are both secure and always locked. While the contents are secured inside, security marked and recorded on Immobilise.
Don't hide spare keys
Burglars will look for hidden door keys – so don't hide spare keys. Instead give a spare key to family or trusted neighbour. Many houses these days have alarms, make sure yours is on and protecting your home.
Register your gifts
Lastly, don't forget to register your gifts on Immobilise – Most electronics have a unique identifier such as a serial number or an IMEI number (phones) which can found easily by pressing the following keys on your handset: * # 0 6 # . If your gift doesn't have a unique identifier there are several affordable marking kits available from the Immobilise store allowing the Police to easily identify the owners of items they recover and so detect crime.
For specialist security products at reasonable prices, see here
