Burglary: how can you prevent intrusions into your home?

The word burglary is likely to make any home owner shudder a little. And why wouldn’t it? You want to keep your family, your house and your belongings safe from burglary and other crimes. Read on for some of our tips to keep your home safe from burglaries, even while you’re away from the house.

Tip no. 1: make it look like there’s still someone in the house

If you want to avoid becoming a burglary victim, this is a great strategy for keeping your home secure.

Remotely control your home’s lights with a smart security system

Many smart home security systems aim to deter burglars by making it look like there’s someone at home, even when your house is standing empty.

Lots of home owners know the age-old trick of leaving a light on somewhere in the house while they’re away. Now, these systems let you do this much more convincingly.

Via apps linked up to your smart devices, you can remotely control which lights flick on and off in your property. You can also arrange these timings to mimic human behaviour in the home, for example turning a few lights on just a couple of minutes after dark.

What’s more, smart systems may enable you to make environmentally friendly choices while protecting your home, by offering energy-saving modes.

Use automated sounds to simulate presence in the home

Another smart security option would be to play pre-recorded audio, to make it sound like there are people in the house.

This can also act as an effective deterrent for burglars who may suspect you’re away from home.

Look for help within the community

Burglars often look for piles of uncollected mail as a sign that a home is standing empty while its occupants are away.

Why not ask a trusted friend or neighbour to drop by occasionally and have them pick up your post for you?

For one thing, they can let you know if anything really important arrives for you and, for another, they could help prevent burglaries on your property.

Neighbourhood Watch schemes can also be integral to crime prevention in the local community. Why not find out if there’s a scheme operating in your local area?

By looking out for each other and sharing news and information, neighbourhoods can keep their homes safe and also support burglary victims.

Let your friends house-sit while you’re away from home

Why not make your friends an offer to look after your property while you’re away?

With people staying in your home, burglars are far less likely to make a move on it. It’s a real win-win: you get to keep your house safe from burglaries and your friends get a mini-holiday home stay. Plus, if you have pets at home, they could take care of them, too.
Tip no. 2: get in the right mind-set
Although this next snippet of information might seem a little obvious, it’s always worth revisiting the basics. Preventing burglaries can sometimes be a simple matter of common sense.

So, don’t forget to:

Make sure you securely close your home’s doors and windows when you’re out, or even when you’re just beyond easy reach of the property (if you’re at the far end of your home’s garden, say)

Make sure your home’s main access points have secure locks and fastenings, especially your property’s garage and front door (although it’s an obvious entry point, burglars do often use the front door to gain entry into a house)

Make sure your valuables aren’t on display (if there are fewer valuable items on display that burglars could easily make off with, they’re less likely to commit a crime on the property)

Make sure you regularly activate your home’s alarm or CCTV surveillance system, to keep track of movements on your property. If you’ve got a home security system installed, it would be madness to just forget to switch it on!

Tip no. 3: protect your property from burglaries
It’s time to make sure your home is safe from break-ins! Netatmo offers a wide range of solutions to protect your property from burglaries.

You might want to install smart indoor or outdoor cameras, a smart video doorbell, sensors that detect when your property’s doors and windows are opened… browse our home security range at your leisure.

Remember: smart security systems enable you to control your home’s safety remotely, for total peace of mind even while you’re away from your property.
Tip no. 4: limit the damage if you do become a victim of burglary
Get a head start on any potential burglaries and take out theft insurance on your property. This might not be covered in basic home insurance policies, so make sure you read the small print!

It would also be wise to list and photograph the valuable contents in your home, as this could provide vital proof of which items burglars have taken from your property.

The police and your insurance company may be able to use this information to effectively pursue the burglars, as well as to accurately compensate you for the offence on your property.
Tip no. 5: be on the look out for burglary techniques
Burglars have a whole range of techniques for scoping out potential burglary sites.

Burglars might pretend to be door-to-door salesmen, in order to make a note of your home’s security features. Or, potential offenders might call your home number to see if there’s anyone in the house at a certain time of the day.

Burglars also operate using a system of signs and codes. If you notice any new, suspicious markings on your home or your neighbours’ properties, you should inform the police and other members of the community.
If you or a member of your local community has been the victim of a burglary, do not hesitate to inform the police. They may be able to gain vital information from witnesses and the property itself, helping them to bring the burglars to court and help keep local homes safer from future burglaries.