Top tips for winter home security

As the clocks go back next week (Sunday 30th October), specialist insurance broker, Towergate, is warning Brits to check their properties.

Related topics:  At Home
Warren Lewis
20th October 2016
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The darker nights indicate a clear rise in the number of household thefts and burglaries committed during November in the UK and can be backed up by Towergate's data which revealed that household thefts surge by 20% in the first full month after the clocks turned back.

According to UKCrimeStats, November last year saw a spike in burglaries with 38,000 instances reported – the highest monthly total in the year.

While Home Office police recorded crime statistics also showed a rise in burglaries in the last three months of the year, with 107,000 cases reported between October and December 2015.

Jon Cawley, Towergate Head of Claims, said: “As the nights draw in burglars use the change in season to their advantage and it is easier to understand patterns of when houses are unoccupied. Even the most basic of measures can deter these opportunistic criminals.

But it’s not only looking at what security we have in the home, but also the information we are choosing to share on our social media channels. You don’t know who may be reading your updates, announcing when and where you are in real time and through this you’re essentially giving criminals a time frame of when they can burgle your house.

Towergate urges all home owners to stop and think about how they can enhance their security both in and out of the home this winter. “

Towergate’s tips:

1. Keep your doors locked when you are at home and when you go out
2. Avoid leaving a spare key by the back door
3.  Always keep car keys, and other valuables, out of sight and away from windows and doors
4. Make sure your locks match British Standard requirements
5. Leave a light on. Use a timer switch to turn on lights inside the house
6. Draw your curtains at night
7. If you have a burglar alarm, use it!

Social bragging

8. Don’t share snaps of holidays or nights out across social media channels until you’re home
9. Don’t disclose expensive items of jewelry or other valuables
10. Don’t show photos of the rooms in your house as this will detail your floor plan
11. Make sure all expensive items are removed from pictures in-home pictures before posting

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