Burglary Risk Prevention

Having your home broken into is one of the worst experiences anyone can go through. Quite often the items stolen will hold sentimental value to the owners, which cannot be replaced.

The psychological damage can affect many aspects of the victim’s life, taking months or even years to overcome. Burglary not only robs victims of their physical possessions, but their sense of security at home.

Home Security Measures

Fortunately, there are plenty of pro-active measures that can be taken towards protecting your property. Here is a list of our top tips for preventing burglary:

• Install strong physical locks on all external doors and fit key-operated window locks on all ground floor windows.
• Put in place security alarms that will alert both you and the police if an intruder is detected. Before selecting an alarm, check that the supplier is approved by the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) or Security Systems and Alarm Inspection Board (SSAIB).
• Consider installing movement detection devices. Alarms can be set so that you can allow for areas of movement around the home without setting the alarm off, e.g. upstairs when you go to bed.
• Remember to turn on your burglar alarms when leaving the house unattended. Lock all doors and ground floor windows, even when leaving the house for only a few minutes. Burglaries are sometimes opportunistic and take only a matter of minutes to commit.
• Consider using laminated glass on ground floor windows. This will make it more challenging for a thief to enter your property undetected. There’s a good chance the thief will simply give up due to the amount of commotion their entry would cause.
• Keep your keys out of site. Some burglars have managed to acquire keys through letter boxes. Put your keys securely in a draw away from any potential entry points.
• Put timer switches throughout your home so the lights turn on when you’re out at night. Having the appearance of being indoors is usually enough to deter most criminals.
• Installing motion sensor lighting at the front and back of your property acts as an effective deterrent to burglars, highlighting their presence.
• Consider installing external cameras.
• Don’t forget to secure your garage and shed with strong locks. Both will contain valuable items such as bikes and garden equipment.
• Resist the urge to post holiday pictures on social media whilst you are away. This is advertising the fact that you are not at home.

Having the right sum-insured

A pro-active approach towards home security goes a long way towards reducing the risk of burglary. Having adequate home and contents cover will give you added peace of mind that the monetary value of your possessions is covered in a worst-case scenario. To ensure this level of cover is maintained, we would recommend having a three-yearly valuation carried out on jewellery and fine art, as these will often increase in value over time. Most high-net-worth policies will have an extended replacement cost –  this means that the insurer will allow for an increase in cover if a claim is made within three years of your last valuation.

Ricky Downs, Private Clients’ Manager, comments:

“Burglary can be devastating when it happens to you. Taking sensible security measures can go a long way towards protecting your home and possessions, giving you greater peace of mind.”

For more information, get in touch with:

Ricky Downs

0207 330 8725

rjd@centor.co.uk

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