It is estimated that a burglary happens roughly every 40 seconds in the UK.  Studies show that domestic burglary can have a serious short and long term effect leaving people feeling vulnerable, frightened, distressed and angry about what has happened.

The majority of burglaries are opportunistic, and contrary to popular believe, tend to occur during the day as that is when most people are likely to be out so it is really important to look at both the inside and the outside of your home. 

Here are our tips on how to secure the outside of your home to deter a burglar:

Curb Appeal

You want the frontage of your home to look pleasing but how much budget have you allocated to the security of the front of your property.  The first thing you should consider is ditching the PVC front door.  A solid metal or wooden door with the most up to date security locking system is far more secure and will deter an opportunist burglar.  Secondly, it may be easier to maintain and nicer looking but paving is silent.  Opt for gravel even if you only have a gravel pathway leading up to your front door the sound of the gravel crunching under foot will wake the dog!

Security Lighting

Most people have security lighting to the front of their property to come on as you arrive home when dark.  Customers rarely consider security lighting on the rear of their property a necessity.  We will always recommend to all our customers that dusk to dawn motion sensor security lighting works as a good deterrent on both the front and rear of your property and isn't expensive to buy and install.  

Enclosed Garden

A burglar loves an open gate, low hedge or picket fence.  Co-op insurance surveyed 2000 people in the UK and found that 12% of their customers randomly left their garden gates either opened completely or unlocked.  More over, many had no top bolt or locking mechanism from inside the garden.

Garden Maintenance

Keep an eye on the greenery around your home and cut back trees, shrubs and hedging to ensure maximum visibility to your property.  Overhanging branches and trees close to an open window is perfect for that opportune burglar.  Keep your garden tools and other expensive items locked away.  Ladders should not be stored outside for obvious reasons!

Garages and Outbuildings

We are spending more and more time in our gardens with the new trend of entertaining outside in outbuildings becoming a real hit in the UK whatever the weather.  An opportune burglar loves nothing more than an unlocked garage or man cave.  Plenty of power tools; bikes and other easy to steel items to be sold on at a boot fair! 

Mark expensive property, such as gardening equipment, tools and bikes to make them less attractive to burglars and easy to identify if stolen.  Chain items together or a strong anchor point and lastly, remember to keep outbuildings locked when you are not in the garden.  Finally, check you household insurance covers your shed and garage contents.

We recommend registering important items for free on the national Immobilise database www.immobilise.com - don't let them get away with it!

Perimeter Beams and Sensors

If you have a larger garden that maybe backs onto fields you may want to protect the perimeter.  Sensors can be placed on your windows, doors, fences and gates.  These are then monitored through your intruder alarm via our remote monitoring station so even when you are on holiday your whole property is protected.  When a sensor is activated our monitoring station will be alerted.  Our beam technology works in the same way.  As soon as the beam is activated it will raise the alarm.

Going on holiday?

Enquiries during late August and September for domestic CCTV, Intruder Alarm Installations and full Home Smart Security Systems always increase.  Unfortunately, customers have endured the upset of coming home from holiday to find their home has been broken into and are now looking to fully secure their home for peace of mind!  It often isn't the financial aspect that make customers purchase from us, it is the emotional side which leads to a purchase as families struggle to come to terms with the fact that they have had an intruder in their home!

One of our customers recently explained:

"My 6 year old daughter didn't want to go on holiday this year after we came home to a burgled home in 2017.  It wasn't until I explained about the nice engineers that  installed our advanced home security system and I actually showed Olivia the CCTV linked to our Alexa; front door and door bell which links to mummys mobile phone and the back garden cameras together with the fact that the alarm is monitored by the local policeman did Olivia decide her home was safe".

This isn't an isolated incident, many of our domestic monitored CCTV, Intruder Alarm and Automated Gate installations in the second half of the year are booked due to the fact their property has been burgled or experienced an attempted burglary.  From cars being taken off the drive at night, to day time breaking and entering taking smaller items like precious jewellery, high value electronic items and sometimes even the kettle.

---

How Communicate UK can help!

Communicate UK have a team of friendly installation engineers available to meet demand across Essex so if you are jetting off and still haven't sorted out who is looking after your property while you are enjoying a sangria then give us a call 01245 400044 and ask for Pat or Glen.  Or send us an email to info@communicateuk.co.uk . 

Why choose us?

• 25+ Years Alarm & CCTV Installation knowledge and experience
• NSI Gold Accredited Approved Intruder Alarm Installer
• Family-run business based in the heart of Essex
• 24 hour telephone service
• All our Intruder Alarms are designed and manufactured in the UK
• Over 2000 happy Intruder Alarm and CCTV customers in South East of England

---

  I have been using Communicate UK for over 25 years for our Intruder Alarm and CCTV System for my property and other members of my family properties across Essex.  We have moved several times over the years and the support we have received from the team at Communicate has been fantastic.  Their engineers are experienced, flexible and friendly and the systems they have designed have incorporated the latest technology to ensure my family, my property and valuables are always safely monitored even when we are out of the country".