Last year, we discussed securing your property over the festive season, specifically on nights such as Bonfire Night, when property damage is significantly more likely.
This weekend was one of our busiest weekends, confirming guards were in place, check calls complete, alarm activations attended to in the stated KPI, and reacting to security board ups out of hours. The response centre staff and management were kept busy throughout the weekend.
While we put a focus on securing vacant properties last year, it is also important to consider security measures for occupied properties.
Intruders are not only interested in vacant properties, which they can vandalise or damage – they are also interested in occupied properties, with valuable belongings, and/or vehicles. There are more and more valuable belongings in our homes over November and December, as we purchase Christmas gifts for friends and family, and it is therefore important that we store these in cupboards, away from windows and doors.
Some common sense advice
When attending festive parties and events, do not leave a spare key outside your property, under doormats or plant pots – if possible, leave spare keys with a neighbour. If you are on holiday over the festive season, ask a friend or neighbour to collect any deliveries or mail from your home, as mail left outdoors suggests that nobody is home.
Additional Measures – SPS Security
There are also further security measures, which can be installed to secure your home, throughout the winter months, darker nights and the rest of the year.
CCTV is a great preventative measure. It acts as a deterrent as well as an effective insurance supported security measure. We monitor and detect 24/7 to help protect your property. Installing CCTV could prevent home or car thefts, which increase by 22% and 20% respectively on Bonfire Night, according to Aviva. You should also consider an alarm system should intruders enter your home; all of these systems are monitored and managed by 24/7 response centres.
With the clocks going back last weekend, now is the perfect time to consider how you can secure your property and enjoy the festive season stress-free, as we celebrate a different event every other week before Christmas and New Year.