Picture this: you’re Brynne the burglar looking for your next opportunity. You’ve already cased the perfect street, away from the main road with limited street lighting. But which house will you target? You’ve had your eye on two. You stop and face the first one, Fran’s place – the lights are on, the windows are closed, and the curtains are drawn. Dafydd lives next door, and his house is in complete darkness – and is that a laptop you can see through the front window? These tenants have practically made the decision for you, how nice of them!
Make it look like someone is home
So Brynne, what would have stopped you from targeting Dafydd’s house? Perhaps if there was a light timer that switched on every evening it would have looked like someone was home. This would have been particularly off-putting if it came on every night even though Dafydd was back at home with his parents for the weekend (and he wouldn’t be wasting money on electricity leaving a light on continuously).
Hide those belongings
Brynne, would you have been less likely to burglarise the house if that shiny new laptop wasn’t in the window, or that bike wasn’t in the garden? Dafydd could have hidden that laptop, along with mobile phones, cash and jewellery and made sure that his bike was either kept inside or secured with a sturdy lock. You wonder if Dafydd knew that over 50,000 bikes get stolen in the UK every year? Speaking of valuables – even if Brynne couldn’t see that laptop in the window Dafydd was kind enough to leave the box it came in out in the rubbish for anyone to see. To put Brynne off he could have folded the packaging it came in and obscured it with other waste.
Secure windows and doors
Sometimes, even all those preventative measures won’t deter you from burglarising, will it Brynne? In that case, the next hurdle for you to overcome are secure windows and doors that are kept locked – even if someone is at home and it’s during the day. Dafydd wouldn’t be wise keeping the keys to his car right by the door either. If only Dafydd knew that one in three burglaries are perpetrated because of unlocked doors – that would certainly be bad for your business, Brynne!
What more can you do?
So, you’ve seen it through the eyes of a burglar – now think to yourself, are you a Fran or a Dafydd? Do you take appropriate measures to protect your property? Safety and security while in student accommodation are becoming increasingly hot topics, especially as students are currently spending more time at home, away from their digz. Make a burglar’s job more difficult by being vigilant – hide those belongings (if you can’t take them with you), keep doors and windows locked and try to use timer switches on the lights. These steps will go a long way to keeping your belongings safe in your home.
Unfortunately, even the Fran’s out there can be the victims of opportunist thieves. Protect your hard-earned belongings by registering them on the UK’s national property register – police use this database, so it increases the likelihood of you being reunited with your valuables if they are stolen. It only takes a moment to do! Above all, protect yourself as well as your valuables – and always ask for ID when someone unexpected knocks your door.
