Home Security

Indoors

Burglars do not want to be seen or disturbed. Convincing them that someone is at home who will interrupt them is undoubtedly the best deterrent.

• You can convince any potential burglar that you are at home by having plug in timer controls for your lamps, but don’t just have the hall light switched on when you leave, have the bedroom light, the lounge and kitchen lights on an the bathroom lights too!!!
• Use a plug in timer for a radio which is switched to a station with more talking than music because this make s it sound as if someone is at home.
• Have a house alarm and good locks on your house, this will deter burglars and might get you a discount from some insurance companies.
• Fit strong locks to every door and window throughout the house to make it harder for burglars to enter different more rooms and find more objects.
• Don’t leave spare keys for the windows and doors lying about, leave them with a friend or relative and don’t have the keys to your window locks next to every window – put them on a key ring.
• If you feel you need CCTV make sure you test it regularly to tell if its working and make sure there are no glaring blind spots or it will just be a waste of money.
• Fire, with all this security, some people worry about escaping from a fire. Good security is designed to stop people getting in, not getting out. Burglars want to operate quietly without being seen. If there was a fire you would want everybody to see and hear you. It is wise not to lock internal doors that could block your escape route. Always keep handy any keys needed to let you get through an external door as not to delay your escape in an emergency.

Outside your home

This section is about how to secure the outside of your house against burglars so that your house is safer.

• Make sure your house number is visible from the road so if the emergency services are needed they can find you quickly and easily.
• Have low fences or hedges at the front of your house, as this will make any criminals feel exposed.
• Place higher fences at the rear of your house to increase security but if this decreases visibility replace them with medium sized fences and attach trellising to the top.
• If you have drainpipes on the side of your house that provide easy access to flat roofs or windows think about using anti-climb paint or prickly climbing plants.
• If your garden is very dark at night use motion censored floodlights that will deter any criminals and want waste electricity by being constantly on.

Sheds and garages

• Keep all valuable electrical items in your home and not in the shed
• Engrave or paint the items in your shed so they are easily found.
• Use good quality ‘hasp and staple’ with a padlock on your shed and garage side doors.
• Smear glue on the outside screw heads of your shed outer hinges, or just buy anti-tamper screw heads.
• Fit all shed and garage windows with internal bars or grilles.
• Battery or mains powered shed alarms are widely available at DIY stores; this will scare off anyone attempting to steal from your garage/shed.
• Attach your bikes to something bulky, like ladders or a workbench, and get a cycle shop to engrave your postcode onto your bike and finally note down the make, model and frame number of your bike.
• Put away your garden tools after use so they cannot be used by burglars and secure your wheelie bins as they can be used as climbing aids

For more information:

• Greater Manchester Police Crime Reduction Advisors – 0161 856 8478 / 0161 856 8475
• Community Safety Service – 01706 924982