Staying Safe - Buildings
Under buildings, this website includes sheds, garages and items in your garden. This page is broken into sections which you can access by clicking the appropriate title in the list below. To return to the top of the page either use the slider on the right of the web page or click the upward pointing arrow or link at the end of the section.
Doors and Windows
Doors and windows allow people outside your property to enter or review what is inside your property. Nobody would leave antique silver on display and the door or window unlocked, would they? Supprisingly people do! Consider when you are displaying the nice item you have just bought where it can be seen from and how close it is to a door or window. Making it difficult for criminals to see your nicest paintings, antiques or brand new telivision will mean that they are less likely to call as they don't know you have something worth taking.
It is likely that it is a condition of your contents insurance that locks complying to BS3621 are fitted to all outside doors. You can check this by looking for the BS kitemark on the door lock itself. In addition, if you are having a new door fitted to the outside of your property, you should choose one certified to PAS 24-1 providing enhanced security. Windows should be certified to BS7950. Double glazed units tend to provide increased security but only if suitably certified and fitted correctly (some double glazing firms do not screw the windows to the walls).
Glass panels in doors also provide possible means of access. You should ensure that the glass is laminated (and preferably double glazed as well). Also while you are considering this, can somebody see whether or not you have taken in the post today? See the section on Going Away below
While you are reviewing your doors and windows, check the frames for the doors and windows. There is little point in having the best security on the door or window if the frame is so rotten or damaged that it can be pulled away from its mounting points.
Sheds and garages should also be well secured. Where you have padlocks, ensure the hasps are of a type that conceal the mounting screws. The padlocks should be a good quality - go for those rated by manufacturer as the highest specification. Frequently these will have Boron Carbide as the padlock mechanism. Again, as above, consider the whole of the garage or shed from a security perspective. It is of little use securing the garage or shed with the best padlock and leaving an unprotected window for thieves to break in. Also the frames of the shed or garage must be capable of retaining the lock or padlock.
It is also likely to be a condition of your insurance policies that windows that can be accessed should be locked shut when the owner is not in the room. Most policies have an exception for the window in your bedroom, but you should examine how easy it is for a potential thief to get access and take appropriate action - would internal bars help (also consider how you would get out in the event of a fire)?
If you have a burglar alarm, use it. It can not alert you or your neighbours if it is not set. Also consider the use of exterior lighting, particularly that triggered by motion sensors. At night, thieves like the dark - making it too light for them will move them on.
The basic principle for doors and windows is that if you can make it difficult for a thief to enter, you will deter them sufficiently for them to go somewhere else.
You can find more information about securing your home from:-
Northumbria Police - Door Security
Northumbria Police - Window Security
Northumbria Police - Shed Security
Dos and Don'ts:-
Do turn on your burglar alarm - if you have one.
Do lock doors to your property.
Do lock windows if you are not in the room.
Do respond to other people's burglar alarms, but don't put yourself at risk.
Do inspect and maintain your door and window security regularly.
Don't put valuable items where they can be seen.
Don't put keys on a rack or surface where they can be seen or accessed from a window or letterbox.
Don't leave shed doors unlocked.
Bicycles and Toys
Trying to get children to tidy away toys and bicycles is difficult and we all want our children to be safe from crime for as long as possible. But leaving such toys and bicycles in public view gives prospective thieves an ability to browse that they would not get elsewhere. Bearing in mind our basic premise that we are interested in making it sufficiently difficult to send them to a different locale, tidying up such toys removes the temptation to thieves and reduces the perceived value of the neighbourhood - if people can leave expensive toys lying around to be stolen, then the neighbourhood must be very rich indeed!
Bicycles are difficult for adults as well. They are easily stolen and are frequently left unattended. Once a thief has "liberated" a bicycle, they can get away very quickly and use paths that cars can not access. So, the message must be, keep the bike under constant observation if not locked up. Or lock it up in a garage or shed which thieves can not easily see into. If you have to leave it on the street, use a stout and recognised anti-theft device and remove or firmly tether any parts that can be removed easily. Bicycle seats are routinely stolen as are quick release wheels and lights. Lock it or lose it.
You can find more information about securing your bicycle from:-
Northumbria Police - Securing your Bicycle
Dos and Don'ts:-
Do tidy up and secure toys and bicycles.
Do lock up toys and bicycles in (ideally) a windowless shed or garage.
Do ensure you have an appropriately secure lock for your bicycle.
Don't leave toys and bicycles unattended.
Don't leave removable items on a bicycle.
Items in the Garden
Gardens are wonderful things and play areas for young and old alike. But leaving tools in the garden gives thieves tools to break into your house aside from the incinvenience of having them stolen. When you have finished work, tidy away the tools to a secure shed or garage and enjoy an un-cluttered view of your hard work!
Gardens are also places where you might want to put statues of your famous forebear. As for your house, try to avoid putting these too close to access points and where thieves can see them. If possible, also mount them in such a way that they are difficult or impossible to remove. If thieves can not remove them, you will enjoy them for much longer.
Why not also consider sensor activated lighting in your garden? This makes a garden a much less safe and invisible place to be for a thief. And the by-product of this is a safer environment for you to enjoy a late evening stroll.
You can find more information about security in your garden from:-
Northumbria Police - Garden Security including a list of plants which can be used to deter thieves.
Dos and Don'ts:-
Do tidy away tools after use.
Do lock up tools in (ideally) a windowless shed or garage.
Do secure garden furniture to prevent it being used to access upstairs windows.
Don't put pagodas and other features near to upstairs windows.
Don't use barbed wire or razor wire - there are legal alternatives.
Going on Holiday
Going on holiday can be a hassle what with organising the family, packing the suitcases and enduring the queues to get onto transport. Don't make it worse by coming back to burgled house!
There are a number of simple things you can do to minimise the threat of burglary:-
- Tell trusted neighbours that you will be away. They can look out for unexpected visitors and ring the Police.
- Try not to tell everyone that you are going on holiday - you don't know who is listening!
- Leave a key with trusted neighbours. This might be a good idea anyway as you will have someone to let you in when you lock yourself out - it happens!
- Either get someone to move the post or have a letterbox fitted where the contents can not be seen from the front door, a window or through the letter box itself.
- Cancel the milk or let a neighbour use it while you are away.
- Cancel the papers or get your trusted neighbour to move them (see post above).
- Don't close the curtains - this shows you are away.
- Consider using automatic lights which come on at night and use these all year round. These are quite sophisticated now with random variations in the time they come on or go off to make it appear that someone is at home.
- Get a friend to take you to the airport or station. If you need to use a taxi, use a company you trust and don’t discuss your holiday plans.
- Don't put your home address on your luggage on the outward section of the journey.
Thieves are looking for changes in routine or obviously empty neighbouhoods - make it appear that things are normal and that the neighbourhood is ever watchful and you will drive the thieves to another area.
You can find more information about what to do when you go on holiday from:-