Home Security Advice

West Mercia Police are advising local residents to take some simple but effective precautions to protect their homes as the nights get darker.

Most offenders target homes with little or no obvious security, those which appear unattended or have access to the side and rear.

What can you do to prevent this?

You can significantly reduce the chance of being burgled by taking a few simple precautions:

• Set a timer switch to turn your lights on when it gets dark. Unlit houses can be a giveaway that no one is home.
• Consider leaving a radio on so that it sounds like someone is home. You can also purchase small devices that mimic the glow of a tv, to give the appearance someone is watching tv.
• Install dusk to dawn lights in your garden. Burglars prefer to stay hidden in the dark.
• Lock your doors, patios and downstairs windows even when you are home. Make sure you double check them again before you go to bed, get into a routine.
• If you have a burglar alarm, make sure you set it when you go out and also when you go to bed.
• Don’t leave car keys, ID cards or valuables near windows, doors or letterboxes where burglars can reach through to steal them.
• Lock your garden gates and side entrances. Don’t leave tools lying around in the garden which could be used to break in to your home.