Protecting your home during winter
Protecting your home during winter
Leaving your home during hours of darkness, without putting a
light on or drawing the curtains, is an open invitation to the
opportunist criminal that there is no-one at home.
• Use an automatic time switch on an indoor light, either in a
room that cannot be peered into from the road, or upstairs.
Regularly change the timing on the switch.
• Save energy, and money in the long term, by fitting low energy
light bulbs.
• Put a time switch on a radio that has been tuned to a chat
station, this will give the impression that the house is occupied.
Regularly change the timing on the switch.
• Fit security lighting, either dusk to dawn energy efficient
lighting that will come on automatically as dusk sets in, or
brighter passive infrared activated lighting drawing attention to
movement.
• Ensure that gates or access to the rear of the house are locked
and secure. Don't forget to lock your shed, your tools can be used
to break in. Trim overgrown plants - don't give burglars a hiding
place.
• Secure windows, paying particular attention to those on the
ground floor and above flat roof areas. Use locks and bolts and
keep all your keys, including car keys, out of sight and out of
reach.
• Property mark your valuables by using your postcode and your
house number or name. Some articles are unsuitable for marking so
photograph them - with a ruler in view to show scale.
• Intruder alarms are an effective deterrent against burglars.
Before choosing a system ensure it is the one most suitable for
your needs.
• Trust your instincts. If you see anything suspicious let us
know. If you think a crime is about to happen or is in progress
dial 999.
• Join a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. For details of a local scheme
or to start a scheme phone us on 101 and ask for
your local PCSO. Alternatively, enter your postcode in the 'Contact
your local officer' section on the front page of the Sussex Police
website to find details of your local PCSO.