Top Tips from Irish Home Security Experts
The result of a burglary can be devastating. Wondering if your home was being watched. Knowing a stranger has rummaged through your possessions, grabbing anything and everything valuable. Losing family heirlooms, jewellery that means more to you than its monetary value. Feeling insecure in the one place in the world you should be safe, your home. Don’t make it easy for criminals to get into your home, take your family’s valuables and your peace of mind.
Did you know one third of Irish people are at home when their homes are burgled?
The most popular way burglars get into Irish homes is through a downstairs window but 10% access homes through an unlocked door?
These are just some of the scary statistics from a survey conducted with Irish home insurance owners by Global Web Index on behalf of AIG Ireland.
To defend your home from a burglar it is helpful to understand what they are looking when they pick a home to raid:
- Easy escape: this is always the first thing a burglar will consider when casing a house. As there is an element of the unknown when they get inside they will assess how easy it is for them to escape if all is not as they expect once inside.
- Easy access: robbers don’t want to do anything to cause a disturbance which may lead to getting caught so they will choose homes with doors or windows that look weak.
- Possibility of easy to access valuables: look for a home that looks like it’s trying to hide valuables, what’s in there?
1. Burglar Buster's Advice on Securing Doors
Getting in or out through a door will always be a burglars preference. If there is an alarm, entering through a door provides a head start before the alarm actually triggers. Although locks on doors are important, Burglar Buster’s Ciaran O’Connell highlighted the need to ensure the frame of the door that the lock sits in meets EU standards. This is often not the case with a standard PVC front and back doors. If you are thinking of replacing your door the Garda Síochana recommend it meets European standard I.S. EN 1627:2011 as these have been subjected to resistance testing.
2. Stop The Burglar's Advice on The Easy Ways to Secure Windows
Why are windows the most popular way for Irish burglars to break into homes? The answer, Stop the Burglar say, are exterior beaded windows, the most common form of window on Irish homes. It allows glass to be easily removed from the outside of the building as this short video shows:
There is a cost effective way of preventing this. Installing a NoGo lock and sash jammer is an easy way to secure your window glass to discourage a burglar from choosing your home.
Additional tip: burglars rely on us being human; if you have a safe, is it in a wardrobe, half way up? This is where most people keep them. Move it, ideally somewhere it can be bolted to the ground. Keep very valuable items off site, in a vault if possible.
3. Security Advice on Alarms and Lighting
Once your home is physically secure, Security Advice recommend installing lights to the front and back so burglars can’t hide in the dark. Also install an approved burglar alarm to your home to alert you or your neighbour if a burglary is attempted.
Don’t risk losing your valuables make sure your contents are well insured for peace of mind this winter.