A useful set of rules to help protect your valuables
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Gardaí are calling on residents to conduct a simple home security assessment that could go a long way towards preventing break-ins and burglaries.
While no home can be made completely burglar-proof, a short list of security checks can prevent properties from becoming easy targets for opportunistic thieves. When it comes to burglaries, criminals often follow the path of least resistance, and a modest investment of time and money can massively reduce the risk of a home being targeted.
Taking steps like forcing intruders to make noise, ensuring it takes them longer to get inside, or increasing the chance they will be spotted will all go a long way toward keeping a property safe. Gardaí are now advising homeowners to conduct a quick ‘three-minute delay’ test of their properties.
The three-minute delay test means being able to prevent entry to your home for three minutes or more, after which, it is highly likely that burglars will move on.
This straightforward checklist highlights vulnerabilities in your home security, including house numbers, outdoor lighting, and dependable neighbours who can keep an eye on things.
Steps to take to protect your home from burglars include: Securing all doors and windows; lighting up your home; using timer switches when out; storing keys safely and away from windows; recording details of all valuables; not keeping large amounts of cash at home; and using your alarm even when at home.
By taking some of these simple precautions, you can reduce the risk of burglary, increase the security of your home and garden, and make life more difficult for any would-be intruders.
Gardaí have also advised that a home’s perimeter or boundary should be the first line of defence. This includes your walls, fences, gates and hedges.
Walls, fences and gates in the rear garden should be at least 1.8 metres (6 feet) high. It is often a good idea to fix a trellis to the top as it provides an extra barrier to negotiate and is also likely to break if climbed, creating noise and attracting attention. Suitable thorny/prickly climbers could be grown through the trellis as an extra deterrent.
Homeowners should also ensure that side gates or doors are robust, locked with good-quality padlocks or deadlocks, and cannot be lifted off their hinges. You should regularly check for damage or weakness and repair as necessary.
The height of the gate or door should match the height of the walls. A barrier consisting of a dense prickly hedge running along your perimeter/boundary is also well worth considering. Most would-be intruders will be deterred from seeking entry through this route. There are many plants suitable for such a role, and you should discuss your options with a horticultural expert.