BY CHRIS HEBBLETHWAITE, SERGEANT – BAYSIDE CRIME PREVENTION COORDINATOR SOUTH BRISBANE DISTRICT | BRISBANE REGION
Holidays are coming up and for some of us this means it’s a chance to get away, to have a little time off, and to take a well-earned break. Holidays are the chance to leave your stresses behind, and the last thing you need to worry about is the security of your home.
Here are some tips for making your home just a little more secure.
Let someone know you’re going away.
Your first line of defence for your home is the community that you live in. A street that is active where neighbours look out for each other is a street that is more likely to deter offending behaviour. Get to know your neighbours. Let them know what your plans are; how long you’ll be a way, how to contact you and so on.
Create activity
Make your house look active. Arranging for someone to take out your bins, empty your letterbox or water the gardens makes your house a harder target and reduces opportunistic offending.
Gardens and yards
Clean up the yard and trim your gardens before you go. It makes your house look cared for and increases natural surveillance opportunities, increasing the risk of detection to anyone trying to enter your property.
Reduce opportunities
Before you go, conceal from view anything that you value, or is valuable. Don’t create temptation. If the reward is worth the risk, an offender will give it a go. Make your property identifiable by marking it and recording serial numbers. This makes it difficult for an offender to gain a benefit from your belongings.
Security systems and cameras
Notice I left this to last? Too many people rely solely on CCTV for their security. CCTV should complement all the other security features of your home. Fail to do that, and all you’re doing is recording evidence of the offence as it occurs. Consider a system that allows you to monitor your home. This allows you to create immediate activity – whether that be interacting with that person, turning a light on, or calling for help.
