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8 WAYS YOU ARE EXPOSING YOUR HOME TO BURGLARS

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8 WAYS YOU ARE EXPOSING YOUR  HOME TO BURGLARS

 

 

 

 

A home intruder is scary to think about, which is why you should spend a few minutes to know how you can ensure that your home is not vulnerable to thieves. Even if you think you live in a secure environment, you should still pay attention to the tips below as they may pay off in the long run.

According to security experts, here are eight ways you may be mistakenly exposing your home to burglars and how you can prevent them.

 

 

You may be ignorant of this, but the truth is, the discarded boxes and bags from all your big-money purchases are like advertisements to burglars. They hint the burglars that there are valuables inside your home. Perhaps you just bought a big-inch Smart TV or refrigerator or laptop, discarding their cartons outside your apartment could be an invitation to thieves to come in and steal them. You may have also bought new pairs of designer shoes, clothes, wristwatches or cologne, you don’t have to discard their boxes in the waste bin in front of your home. The message it’s going to pass across to thieves is that you have things they can steal from your home.

According to Lagos-based security expert, Mr John Adewusi, you can prevent thieves from getting excited over your new big purchases by keeping their boxes or bags inside your home until when waste management companies come for pickup.

“The type of trash in your waste bin tells what property you have inside your home. If you don’t want to expose them to burglars, then you should keep them inside until pickup day, which is usually once a week, depending on the area you live in.

VISIBLE INTERIOR 

Just as you don’t want burglars to see what is inside your waste bin, especially if it’s a big purchase, you don’t also want them to get a peek at all the goodies you have inside your home. Hence, security experts advised that you shut the curtains so as to make the interior of your home invisible.

Security expert, Mrs Juliana Nwankwo-Olatoye, advised, “Pull the curtains down and if you have a street-facing window, you can put a giant pot plant in its front.

“Do whatever you have to do to keep unwanted eyes out off your home. Be especially mindful at night when the dark sky and lit interior combine to create a fishbowl effect in your home.”

 

 

 

 

DARK EXTERIOR 

Burglars don’t like to be seen when carrying out their activities, so when you create a barrier of light around your home using motion sensor-activated and basic exterior lights, you are creating a barrier around your home through which they’re not likely to penetrate. Security experts advised paying special attention to vulnerable areas such as the front and back doors as well as walkways.

“Ensure that your residence is well lit. You don’t need to go for high-tech lighting to provide security for your home. Basic bulbs can do the work. Just ensure that you place them at strategic areas,” a security expert in Lagos, Mr Jide Olaniyan, told our correspondent.

 

 

EMPTY HOUSE 

Most burglars don’t want to meet the occupants of a house when they are carrying out their evil acts. They want to go in undisturbed and collect all the valuables they want to collect. Why do you think people are not sometimes around in the house when thieves break in to steal? It’s because the thieves are also scared sometimes. If they think you are in the house, they may likely keep off and watch when you will not be around.

Hence, when you are travelling and you are not going to be around for some days or weeks, Adewusi advised you need to make it look like someone is still in the home.

“This is by turning on a light or two and even leaving on a TV or radio to make some noise. This is if you are just going out for hours. If you are going to be away for a prolonged period, you can use electronic timers to turn them on and off automatically,” the security expert said.

 

 

 

ANNOUNCING  YOUR MOVEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

Additionally, if you are travelling, whether for a short or long period, don’t go to social media to announce you are taking your family on holiday to the Bahamas or the Maldives (a small country in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean).

“If you go to social media and inform the world you are away in Dubai with your family, you are only going to expose your home to being burgled before you return,” Adewusi cautioned.

 

 

 

NON-EXISTENT ALARM SYSTEM 

Installing an alarm system in your home may take a lot of financial investment, but doing so can pay off in the long run. A quality alarm system is a huge burglar deterrent and a necessary one if you live in a high-crime neighbourhood.

Security experts advised carrying out research to find out which alarm system to install.

Olaniyan said, “Patronise a reputable security company that will get you quality alarm technology. Some thieves know the bad and bogus alarm systems and can manoeuvre their way inside.

“So you should consider high-tech options, such as alarms with a camera that can allow you to monitor your home from anywhere. It is worth investing any amount in securing one’s life and property.”

 

 

DILAPIDATED FRONT DOOR 

Your front door is the first place burglars will look at, so a ramshackle front door is a sign that your home is an easy target. A clean, painted front door gives the impression that the entire home is well-cared for and harder to breach. Should you have a front door in disrepair, now is the time to fix it. Prevention is better than cure.

Similarly, burglars look to see what kind of locks you have in your door. They know which door lock is easy to break to enter and they also know which lock is difficult to break.

In summary, invest in quality locks for your door. It makes it more difficult to break into your home.

 

 

 

WELCOMING LANDSCAPING 

When planted beneath windows, bushes and shrubs are not only pretty, but they’re also an obstacle to climbing into windows. Burglars are especially deterred by the kind of greenery that has thorns or makes loud snapping noise. For trees reaching up to second-storey windows, be sure to clean up lower branches so they can’t function as a ladder.

Additionally, if you are going to be away for a while, endeavour to pay labourers to cut down grass in your apartment. Also tell the cleaner to clean the surroundings at all times. If your home is untidy and looks like you are in a bush, thieves can guess you are not around and may use the opportunity to break in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 – Copyright PUNCH

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