Home security advice for lighter nights

Spring is here, and with the arrival of lighter evenings, it is important to review your home security.  

That’s why Safe & Sound, Dudley’s community safety partnership, are reminding residents to take a few simple steps to help keep your home safe.  

These small actions can make a big difference in preventing burglary. 

• Check locks on all entrances are secure before going out – including front doors, side entrances, back doors, patios, conservatories, sheds and windows. Double lock the doors where possible and don’t leave windows on the latch or open during warmer months if the house is unoccupied. 

• Install a burglar alarm and check it regularly – Burglar alarms will loudly alert you and your neighbours if anyone gains access to your home while you have the alarm set. Always set the alarm when you leave the house unoccupied and overnight. Regularly service it to check it is working. Burglar alarms also act as a deterrent to criminals. For advice and approved suppliers of alarms visit the National Security Inspectorate and the  Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board. 

• Display signage to act as a deterrent – examples of signage that could deter a burglar from entering your home could be Neighbourhood Watch stickers, Warning this property has an alarm, CCTV coverage in this area and No cold callers. 

• Internal lighting to make the house look occupied, even when it isn’t – Lamps and lights should be placed on a timer when you are not in the house. If you don’t have a house sitter while you are on holiday, we recommend asking a trusted neighbour to watch over your property, and not publicising your house being empty on public forums like social media. You can also join your local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. Consider asking neighbours to park on your drive, close your curtains at night and pick up your post to avoid the house looking vacant.  

• Keep valuables well-hidden and secure – enable two factor authentication on electronic devices, place electronic trackers on valuables where possible and keep them out of sight from prying eyes at your window. You can also mark your valuables and register them online to prevent burglary but also help the police reunite stolen goods with their owner if they do get stolen or lost. 

• Install tall fencing at the rear and sides of your property – this prevents easy access to your home from the back or sides, where they may be more hidden from plain sight of neighbours or passersby on the road. 

• Plant defensive hedging – Planting prickly or barbed shrubbery along boundaries and fence lines acts as an effective natural barrier, makes access hard to your property. Always maintain your hedges and keep your property visible, so criminals cannot hide and neighbours/CCTV cameras can see any suspicious activity around your property.  

• Gravel driveways and open spaces – Making your driveway open and well-lit can deter criminals from coming onto your property. Keep fencing and shrubs at the front of your property low to prevent hiding spaces for burglars to go unnoticed. Gravel driveways are loud and make it harder for criminals to quietly sneak onto your property. 

• Consider additional security measures like home CCTV or camera doorbells which auto activate when someone comes near to your property. Exterior home security lighting that has an automatic sensor when someone comes near to your property is a great tool in the dark, but less useful when the nights are lighter. You can also register your cameras on WMP secure CCTV database to help protect your neighbours too. This does not give the police access to your cameras but instead lets them know which areas may be covered by CCTV in the event of a crime being committed. Home security cameras also act as a deterrent for potential burglars.  

• Distraction burglars will pretend to be someone they are not, so it’s important you are aware of the common methods they will use to get you to let them into your property. They may pretend to be in need, hurry you to get inside or work in teams to distract while another gains access to your property. Use a chain on your door and only answer to people you trust. Check ID of cold callers, close the door and call the company they are claiming to be from using a number found online. Genuine callers will have no issue with you doing these security checks while they wait. Avoid being pressured into buying services on the doorstep by doing your own research. Genuine companies will appreciate that you will want to know more before parting with your money and will happily set up a return appointment if you are happy with your independent research. 

If a burglary is in progress, always call 999. Safely lock yourself in a room to call 999 and do not put yourself in danger. Disrupting the criminals could lead to harm or you could spook them into escaping.  

For further advice, visit https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/keep-burglars-out-property/