Additional burglary prevention advice

REMEMBER - Most burglars will select their target because it offers them the best and easiest opportunity to carry out crime undiscovered and undetected.

If you have gates around the outside of your house, 'LOCK THEM', it will again reduce opportunist access.

If you have ladders - ensure they are locked and not available to a thief. They will allow easy access to upstairs windows.

Any garden tools and implements which are left in the garden or yard, can be used to help them to force entry.

Untrimmed hedges or high fences in gardens can provide cover for criminals and prevent neighbours from keeping watch.

Thieves may also take opportunity from those visible signs that nobody is at home.

For example:

• Milk bottles or parcels left on the doorstep
• Newspapers and mail protruding through the letter box or visible through glazed front doors
• Unlit houses after dark and closed curtains during the day
• All windows shut in very hot weather
• Make it look as though your house is occupied and don't advertise your absence
• Install automatic switches, use timers which switch lamps or radios on and off, sound is also often a good deterrent
• Keep the garden tidy
• If you go away on holiday or for periods of time, encourage a neighbour to park on your drive, or directly outside your house
• Ensure that you cancel all regular deliveries, but don't announce your departure to a shop-full of people
• Don't discuss your holiday plans or lengthy periods away from home within earshot of strangers
• When you travel, don't have your home address showing on your luggage for the outward journey
• If you are using a taxi service to the airport, arrange for your pickup to be away from your own home address.
• Consider arranging for a trustworthy house-sitter, who can open and close curtains and blinds, ensuring no visible signs of absence are evident from the outside.