Just because it is the holiday season does not mean that offenders take a break too.
A home or business that looks unattended just about beckons a break and enter, making you a prime target for a burglary.
There are things you can proactively do to make your home safer even when you are away on holidays.
Continued activity is key!
You need to keep your home or business as normal-looking as possible.
Tips For When You Are Going To Be Away:
| ☐ | Stop mail or ensure that it is collected regularly and not overflowing in your letterbox. Alternatively, setup mail redirection or mail hold for the duration of your holiday. |
| ☐ | Cancel deliveries such as newspapers. Uncollected newspapers can be one of the most prominent signs of an empty home. |
| ☐ | Let trusted neighbours know that you are going to be away, for how long, and how to contact you in case of an emergency. |
| ☐ | Consider a house-sitter, relative, neighbour or friend to attend every few days and look after your home while you’re away: • Check around the house • Maintain your garden and mow the lawn if you are going away for an extended period of time • Take your bins in and out • Move your car(s), keep one on the driveway, or occasionally park their car in your driveway • Empty your mailbox • Move the curtains • Hang old clothes on the line • Leave an old pair of shoes outside the door |
| ☐ | Ensure ladders and other garden tools that may be used to break into your house are secured away. Remember to lock the shed and garage. |
| ☐ | Let the Police know that you are going to be away by filling out and submitting an Absence from Residence form to your local police station. |
| ☐ | Turn down or turn off the home telephone volume so that burglars cannot hear it ringing. Alternatively, setup call diversions to your mobile number if possible. |
| ☐ | On your answering machine, don’t say ‘We are on holidays and will be back on…’, instead say ‘We can’t come to the phone right now’. |
| ☐ | Setup timers for: • Interior lamps or lights to turn on at night, to make it look as if somebody is inside • Radio to turn on and off during the day |
| ☐ | Be wary of posting holiday plans on social media. Announcements on social media act as advertisements that your home is vacant. |
| ☐ | Install exterior sensor lights. |
| ☐ | Install good quality locks on all doors and windows, and double-check them before leaving. |
| ☐ | Install a security alarm system, preferably one with back to base monitoring so you know you’re in safe hands and there is an alarm response action in the event of an incident. |
| ☐ | If applicable, place security signage in visible locations. |
Effective, Budget-Friendly Security Patrols:
If you operate a business and are going to be closed over the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s break, you should consider security patrols as part of your holiday security plan.
Our security patrol officers perform regular, non-predictive patrols, and provide you with a high visibility deterrent to criminal activity such as theft and vandalism, not only to your property or facility but also in the area around it.
Now is the time to worry less and book extra day and night patrols to protect your premises, and ensure 24/7 peace of mind over the holidays.
Call us on 1300 136 102 to get a quote on a custom holiday security solution.
Additional Resources:
Download and submit an Absence from Residence form to your local police station.
Please note that notifying police of your absence does not guarantee the security of your home, and it should be considered as an addition to the advice received from the police or from your security advisors.
| Important Numbers:
If you require immediate police attendance, call police on Triple Zero (000). If you have any information regarding a crime, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. If you wish to hire security patrols, guards, or alarm monitoring and response, call Southern Cross Protection on 1300 136 102. |
