Stop break-ins: Don't give thieves any breaks
1) Give your home that “lived-in” look while you’re away. Before leaving on a trip, leave the keys with trusted neighbours who can turn your lights and radio on and off, open and close your curtains, water your plants, bring in circulars, mow your lawn or shovel the snow, move your car or park theirs in your driveway. 2) Ask the post office to hold your mail and call the newspaper office to stop delivery while you’re away.
3) Inspect your premises on the eve of your departure. Store all your garden equipment, bikes and snow blowers; lock the garden shed. And remember to bring in that ladder! Don’t leave your picnic table, trailer tent or firewood against a wall. Cut trees and shrubs down so people can see what’s going on on your property.
4) Leave the car in the garage when loading luggage. Why alert people to the fact that you’ll be away.
5) A timer is inexpensive and effective, especially the multiple-program type. It gives your home that “lived-in” look that thwarts scouters and robbers: there’s nothing quite as effective as a light or radio that goes on at different times during the day.
6) A good lock is a good start. You can purchase a double lock from any good locksmith; once locked, it can’t be opened without a key, not even from the inside. This makes it harder to get into your home.
7) The door to the house from the garage should be as solid as all other exterior entrances and equipped with the same type of safety lock.
8) Change the locks when moving into a new home.
9) The garage door must always be kept closed. In the event of a prolonged absence, padlock the track.
10) Secure your doors. The ideal wooden door has a solid core. Door frames on each side should be solid at the level of the locks. If yours is a hollow-core wooden door, you should seriously consider replacing it. Upgrading such a door requires considerable work and the results are not guaranteed. The best of locks will be useless on a door which can easily be kicked in.
11) An entrance door opening outwards has hinges accessible from the outside. You can prevent their removal by flattening both ends of the hinge pins or by inserting a non-removal screw into the centre of the pin.
12) The optical viewer allows you to see who is knocking at your door. Issue specific instructions that the door is to be opened to no one in your absence. Do not rely on a door chain; once the door is open, the chain can easily be broken with a good push.
13) Glass panes in the door itself, or lateral glass panels popular in some entrances, can either be replaced with an unbreakable material or reinforced with a metal-mesh window guard.
14) The mail slot should not give nimble fingers access to the lock. Watch where you install it. Preferably, seal the mail opening in the door, replacing it with a real mailbox. And never, ever leave an extra key in the mailbox: it’s the first place thieves check!
15) Sliding glass doors are vulnerable. Drill a blind hole into the top and bottom of the frame so you can insert a nail or a peg. Get into the habit of putting a piece of wood in the door tracks every time you leave your home.
16) Patio doors can easily be lifted and removed. Install a jimmy plate or a screw in the top rack.
17) For vertical sliders, drill a blind hole at an angle through the frame of the first window half- way into the second one. Jam the windows into position by inserting a long nail or peg into the hole.
18) Horizontal sliders, can be locked with nails through the framework. A piece of wood can be placed in the grooves. If the window is opened frequently, secure the nail to the frame with a chain.
19) On basement windows, if you install grillwork, don’t forget you might need to make an emergency exit, in the event of a fire for example. Make sure the work is done from the inside, with easy to remove pegs. You might also consider replacing the glass panes with sheets of unbreakable clear plastic or acrylic.
20) Key lock windows are a good investment and should be considered if you are in the process of renovating or building your house.
21) Marking your belongings has been proven effective. Your police department can provide you with the necessary tool, free of charge and instruct you on its use. Seniors can be given assistance. You will also be handed exterior display decals stating that your property has been marked. Their deterrent value is excellent: thieves stay away from marked pieces since “fences” will not handle them.
22) Your jewelry is a favorite target of burglars: easy to carry, often identifiable, it can easily be resold. Like most people, you probably store yours in a jewelry box or one of your dresser drawers. It’s a good idea to leave enough costume jewelry in these places to satisfy the thieves that they have found what they’re looking for. Your good jewelry, on the other hand, can be hidden in an out-of-the-way-place. A little imagination will help you determine a place both unlikely yet within easy reach.
23) A strong room in your house represents a lot of work, but it does provide excellent protection for those who live in isolated areas, own items of value or are often away. Walls and ceilings can be lined with fire - resistant material ( gypsumsheets). Install a solid-core wooden door opening inwards ( because of the hinges). Bolster the frames, then install a dead-bolt lock and screw-on door knob which will fall off if forced.
24) A high fence is more difficult to climb, but it also protects and hides anyone who’s actually managed the climb. It would be preferable to install a chain link fence which will give police patrols a clear view of anything unusual on your property.
25) A warning buzzer on the fence gate can be linked to the house, letting you know whenever someone is entering your property.
26) Do not advertise your name on your door or gate, as this only makes it easier for thieves to call and check if anyone is home.
27) What about skylights? Make sure they’re as resistant as possible and install a locking device similar to that of your doors.
28) Fan and other openings larger than 600 cm2 should be secured with sturdy locking devices.
29) An alarm system can also be an excellent preventive measure. A reliable system will not generally sound false alarms. It should be purchased from a specialized company that will provide professional installation and guarantee.
30) All alarm systems should feature an auxiliary power source for non-stop protection in case of a power failure.
31) A photo-electric cell regulating light according to existing conditions is a good investment.
32) A barking dog - even one whose bark is worse than its bite - can discourage robbers who want no attention called to their presence. A well-trained guard dog will reject even the most appetizing bait. If nothing else, a sign reading “BEWARE: VICIOUS DOG” can also be useful. If it’s too late... someone has already broken into your home....
33) A forced door or window is a warning: do not enter your house as thieves might still be inside. Call police from a neighbour’s house.
34) If you only notice the break-in once you’ve entered, don’t touch anything. Leave immediately and call the police from a neighbour’s house.
35) The worst has happened and everything is gone.... we can only hope that you had drawn up a complete, up-to-date inventory of what you owned, along with photographs and serial numbers of all your belongings. Had you made sure that your insurance covered all your possessions? Have you requested a special insurance rider covering the full value of your jewelry (with list and photos), your cameras, your collections?
Every time you leave, don’t forget to take these simple, yet effective precautions:
* leave the radio on, preferably to a station airing call-in-shows (talk station), nothing conveys the impression of an occupied home quite as well.
* turn out the lights in the morning and turn them back on at night.
* carefully lock all doors and windows, even if you’re only planning to be away a few minutes.
For more information, contact the Insurance Bureau of Canada - 1-800-565-7189
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