It is well known that the winter months are a favoured time for burglars. The darkness and the fact that householders will not be out in their gardens on a long, cold night provide plenty of cover. There is also the significant matter of Christmas, when presents left under the tree offer an obvious target for house-breakers.
However, that does not mean everything is safe and secure in summer. It might be easy for householders to get complacent as the long, light evenings would appear to reduce the chances to hide and steal.
However, summers bring many new opportunities for crooks. That’s why if you are considering installing a burglar alarm, you shouldn’t be complacent and wait until autumn.
Firstly, just as burglars in the winter might take advantage of people leaving their homes to go to Christmas and New Year parties, so they will take opportunities presented by people being away on holiday. This does not happen by chance, with burglars researching to see when people are out.
A couple of other major issues lie in the garden. While this may not be such a dark place in summer, the verdant growth of many plants can provide more places to hide. In winter, plants die back and leaves fall off trees, but in the summer months these can offer lots of hiding places.
In addition to fitting a burglar alarm, you can take other steps to make your garden less burglar-friendly at all times. Cutting back overgrown hedges and bushes is one way, but adding in a few thorny items will make life a lot more awkward, as may higher fences. A gravel driveway ensures they cannot walk up to the front of the house silently.
Another problem concerns the outbuildings and garden tools. On a warm, dry evening with a good weather forecast, it can be very tempting for those who have been out in the garden to leave their tools there, in anticipation of coming out the next day to resume work with them.
Unfortunately, this has the effect of leaving a lot of sitting ducks for thieves. This issue extends to unsecured garden sheds and garages, from where equipment can be taken.
Thefts from gardens are a particularly common form of burglary, with plants, ornaments and garden furniture also often being stolen. Once again, there are things householders can do, such as securing furniture with chains if possible or removing it from the garden if it is not in use.
Apart from these steps, installing security cameras and lights can also be an effective deterrent.
While you may not fit a burglar alarm in the garden, it is important to note that the crooks who come for your goods outside the home will notice if you have an alarm or not, which can determine whether they come back to try to break in.
The sad truth is that many homes suffer repeat burglaries because vulnerabilities are identified and exploited, but the victims do not take steps to correct them. Don’t let your property be a haven for robbers this summer.
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