The Best Ways to Protect Your Home This Winter
As winter draws closer and the days become shorter, the risk of burglaries increases massively. Statistics have shown that burglaries increase by 34% during the winter months, with the cover of darkness providing thieves with more opportunities to gain entry into your property.
The biggest change from the summer months is that most people now don’t get home from work until it is dark. This means that thieves have an opportunity to gain entry to your property whilst it is dark- safe in the knowledge that no-one is home. This gives potential thieves a massive opportunity, making it much easier for them to attempt break-ins.
It is not all bad news though! There are a number of simple ways to protect your home this winter and help reduce the risk of burglary- and we have listed some of these below.
1) Secure your home with the best quality lock
The single best way to secure your property is with the best quality lock. The important things to look out for when choosing a cylinder is how many stars it has. The most secure locks will have three stars on them, so you want to look out for locks with the KM *** logo. This means that they have been certified as a KM 3* cylinder by BSI and this is the highest level of accreditation that cylinders can receive.
Another thing to look out for is the Sold Secure Diamond logo which will mean that the cylinder has passed the Sold Secure testing to the highest level.
Our AP cylinder is both a KM 3* and Sold Secure Diamond Standard lock meaning that it is the most secure cylinder available in the UK. It safeguards from all of the most common forms of attack, including bumping, drilling, picking, plug extraction and drilling.
2) If you have a side gate, use a secure padlock on it
Unsecured side gates give burglars an easy opportunity to gain entry to the back of your house where they are likely to be able to attempt gain entry to your house without anyone seeing them. Using a high quality padlock on your gate can act as a deterrent to thieves as they will see that you are serious about your security.
We have two high security padlocks available at APECS, with our Mastiff Padlock providing a more secure alternative to standard brass padlocks. Enlarged walls protect the lock from force and saw attacks and it is highly resilient to all types of weather conditions due to its solid brass body and Hardened Steel shackle.
Alternatively, our PDZ Alarmed Padlock is also a great padlock to protect things like your garden shed, vehicles or bicycles. The padlock features a 110db siren which activates when the body or the shackle are attacked. Its zinc alloy body and heat processed Hardened Steel shackle ensure it is resilient to cutting and it is also corrosion resistant.
3) Light Sensors
A great way to defend your home is with sensor lights which will come on when they detect movement. These are one of the simplest ways to deter burglars as they will be lit up by the lights and this will make them think twice about attempting to gain entry to your property. We’d recommend getting LED lights as these will use much less power than non-LED bulbs and will help keep your energy bills down whilst also being much better for the environment.
4) Leave lights on a timer
The darker nights mean that it is much more easy for burglars to tell whether someone is at home. If you know you are not going to be home until after dark, then we’d recommend putting at least one light on a timer. The chances are that we’ve all seen Home Alone, and whilst you do not need to concoct a light show quite as sophisticated as this, something as simple as having a light on in a downstairs living room will often be enough to deter a burglar. They do not want to come face to face with someone when trying to enter a house, so they are much more likely to move on to a different property if they see a light on in one or two of the rooms.
One important to thing to take into consideration is where you are leaving lights on. You do not want to be lighting up your valuables, otherwise your house becomes a shop window for thieves!
5) Ensure all doors and windows are locked every time you leave the house
This one is a simple one, but it is so often overlooked by people. You really should make sure that all doors and windows and closed and locked every time you leave the house, even if you’re only popping out for 5 minutes, or you’re in the garden doing something. It only takes a thief seconds to come into your house and steal your car keys or valuables, so make sure everything is locked every time you are not in the house.
If you’re interested in purchasing any of the products mentioned in this article, including our KM 3 Star, Sold Secure Diamond Standard Euro Cylinder, then simply head over to our product page, send us an email, or give us a call in the office.
