Protecting your home while on your holidays

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Protecting your home while on your holidays

It is the time of year that we start thinking about our holidays, frantically packing our suitcases and ensuring we have the adequate insurances to protect ourselves whilst we are away. Of course for most of us our properties stand empty and consequently it’s during this period when your home is most at risk from burglary. Security must be at its peak, so here are 6 tips to help safeguard your home.

  1. Before you leave for the airport, check that your burglar alarm works. It sounds obvious, but very few people actually complete this vital precaution.
  2. Install lights which turn on automatically according to a timer. These – or apps which allow you to control lighting remotely – provide a solution to the ongoing debate as to whether you should leave a light on while away.
  3. Keep all valuables out of sight. Many thieves are opportunistic and will make the snap decision to break in if they can spot high-value items on display.
  4. Install extra locking devices to entrance points, such as chain locks on doors and devices that restrict how far windows can be opened. Most forced entry burglaries are committed at the rear of the property, with patio doors being notoriously penetrable, so you may want to consider investing in further protective measures here to help shield against intruders.
  5. If you have a reliable neighbour, ask them to check on your property daily. Get them to move your mail if it’s visible through the door (a few days’ post piling up is a good indicator that no one’s home) and, if possible, ask them to park their car on your drive a few nights a week.
  6. Install a CCTV system with motion detection that will give you a notification on you smart device like a phone or tablet you can then view the images live on from anywhere in the world as long as you are connected to the internet.

Alarm receiving centre

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We have set up a partnership with an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) to monitor your CCTV, Intruder Alarm, Fire Alarm or even Lone working. If your system has an activation the operators will follow and take appropriate action. The control room is manned 24/7/365 and one of the best in Europe. Costs from as little as £1.50 per day.

Contact me for more information steven@cctvsouth.co.uk or 07584358423

Going away on holiday watch what you put on social media

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Social Media Tips to help protect you.

Social media is a part of modern life with many people posting every day, but most don’t think about just who can access the information they post. It might come as a surprise to know that 78% of burglars use Facebook and Twitter to target potential properties.

Here’s is my top 10 tips to staying safe on social:

  1. Don’t ‘check-in’ at airports or holiday destinations on social channels. This tells people you’re out of the country and not home.
  2. Don’t announce when you’re going on holiday.
  3. Don’t tweet photos from inside your home.
  4. Don’t give too much information away about yourself and your life.
  5. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know on Facebook.
  6. Don’t post photos of new expensive items you’ve bought or received as presents.
  7. Don’t mention your address on any social network or sites that aren’t trusted.
  8. Don’t announce any risk to your home, such as a smashed window or broken alarm.
  9. Regularly check the safety settings of your social profiles, as when these change you may not realise exactly who you’re sharing content with.
  10. Only post your holiday pictures when you return home.

Following these tips will help you reduce your risk of burglary, protecting you and your loved ones.