Don't Give Thieves The Gift Of Your Presents: Christmas Home Safety Tips by a Security Expert
Research from security distribution specialists Norbain has revealed a concerning average 19% probability of encountering theft in the UK during the festive season.
Norbain surveyed 500 individuals, asking if any had experienced theft during the 2022 holiday season. House theft emerged as an alarmingly common crime, with 32% of respondents reporting being victims.
Sheffield experienced the highest number of festive break-ins among the cities surveyed, registering 44%. Nottingham ranked second highest with a figure of 37%, followed closely by London (31%), Leeds and Bristol (27%), and Liverpool (24%), which secured the third, fourth, and fifth positions on the list of cities deemed unsafe, respectively.
On the other hand, the top five safest cities for burglary are 'Belfast, the safest city with no incidents recorded, followed by Newcastle, Edinburgh, 'Norwich, similar to 'Southampton, and Birmingham, with burglary rates of 7%, 9%, 17%, 19% respectively.
As Christmas approaches, with an expected spending range of £700 to £973 per person, protecting your holiday gifts is crucial. Norbain, in response to their survey findings, offers essential tips to ensure the safety of your holiday treasures.
Buzz Coates from Norbain believes that the key lies in your home security and using your common sense: “Utilising technology in your home such as alarm systems, security cameras and smart doorbells allows you to not only record any suspicious behaviour outside your home, but means you can access the feeds when you aren’t in.” “Social media plays a key part in keeping your home safe too. Our research found that 41% of people believe that social media influences crime, with 27% scarily admitting to posting their locations on social media! Geo-tagging and posting your location is an automatic
beacon for thieves, alerting them to when you’re not home. It’s something we heavily advise all our customers against doing”.
10 Ways To Keep Your Christmas Gifts Safe:
- Don’t display your gifts where they can be seen through a window. Piles of presents around a tree aren’t advised either. You may know it’s a chocolate wrapped up, but to a burglar it could look like something much more valuable.
- Dispose of gift packaging discreetly. Leaving large branded boxes by your recycle bin is a beacon for potential thieves, highlighting the gifts and brands you’ve received.
- Avoid posting images of gifts on social media. Thieves use social media too, and a photo of a shiny new Xbox, combined with the local area Facebook page you’re part of and geo-tags you’ve posted can all create a simple map for them to find out where you live.
- Refrain from posting about your plans on social media, particularly if you’re going to be away from the house. Post photos with family, after the event, once you’re all back home and avoid using geo-tagging. The less information you give about your whereabouts, the better.
- Consider how safe your delivery safe places actually are. If you’re going to be out for a prolonged period of time, rescheduling your delivery may be the safer option.
- Don’t leave gifts in your car, and where possible avoid leaving your car boot open. If you have to leave anything in the car, store it in the boot so that it isn’t visible and when unloading your car, close and lock the car in-between trips into the house.
- Utilise video doorbells and extra security on your doors. Most burglaries happen from the front or back door, so adding extra security can be a deterrent. Did you know that you can even add an Alexa skill called Guard Dog to your Alexa, that will make a growling dog noise on command?!
- Light up your entrances with motion sensor security lighting. Thieves embrace the dark and shadows, motion sensor security lights will catch them in the act before they even get into your property.
- Keep curtains and blinds closed when it’s dark. This will keep any of your gifts out of sight (especially when they’re lit up by your home lighting)!
- Ensure your windows and doors are locked. It sounds simple, but many people often leave their doors or windows unlocked during the day, making it easy for opportunist thieves to enter your home.
