Burglars Don’t Take a Christmas Break

With the summer holiday just around the corner, now is the best time to check your doors, windows and locks to prevent a break-in and losing your important property.  Many burglars who break into houses don’t actually break-in, they enter through unlocked doors and windows. According to the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey, Burglary was the second most common offence type and the most common household offence type and there were 289,000 burglaries over the previous 12 months, making up 17% of all offences[1].

Here are some useful tips for preventing break-ins and burglaries:

• Don’t advertise that you are away, it’s a good idea to have lights come on at night on a timer.
• Ask a neighbour or friend to regularly clear your mail box.
• Install deadbolts on all exterior doors, including the internal door to the garage.
• Ensure the windows and sliding doors have the correct locks fitted.
• Keep the outside of your house well-lit to help reduce the risk of a break-in. Sensor lights are a good idea in this instance.
• Ensure that all sheds and outbuildings are locked.
• Keep your trees and shrubbery trimmed. An overgrown garden gives burglars more privacy.
• If you have given a set of keys to people previously, i.e. tenants, change the locks.
• Avoid hiding a key outside, instead leave a spare with a friend or trusted neighbour.

And finally, always lock your house, even if you are only going out for a short time.

[1] https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/NZCVS-Cycle-4-Core-Report-Section-3-How-much-crime-fin.pdf