Posted by SecExtra on June 09th, 2010

Whether you spend weeks meticulously planning, or the few hours before embarking on a summer holiday are fraught with misplaced booking references and arguing about preferable exchange rates – Most of us leave our place of habitation in a far from composed state. The old clichés of “Did I lock the door?” or “will no.16 find the spare key under the third geranium?” spring to mind.

It is at these times when home security should be of the utmost importance, but more often than not it is overlooked or in some cases totally forgotten. In fact, the 2008/2009 British Crime Survey (BCS) published by the home office showed that there were 744,000 burglaries reported across the UK in 2009, a quite frightening one burglary every 37 seconds.

Believe it or not, there are a number of seemingly routine checks and small changes you can make which will dramatically reduce the risk of your property being targeted, such as:

Lock doors and windows
Doors and windows account for the entry point of 70% and 27% of all UK burglaries respectively. Making those clichés about forgetting or not, even more apt.

Hide those tags
Thieves are more cunning than you think, studies have shown burglars heading to airports and making notes of address on the baggage tags – make sure it’s not yours they write down.

Security measures displayed
Properties at which a security method was displayed were 19.4% less likely to be targeted. Suggesting that even if you don’t have a security system installed, invest in a security sign.

Invest in light timers
56% of all burglaries reported were conducted at night, making investing in a timer a bright idea.

Don’t be afraid to ask a neighbour
Have a neighbour or friend check on your property every few days to remove obvious signs of your lack of presence. 90% of offenders stated they actively avoided houses with signs of occupancy.

Cancel recurring contracts
Milk on the doorstep or a build-up of papers is a sure sign nobody’s home.

Trim overgrown hedges and plants
During night or day overgrown foliage can be used to conceal a burglar, don’t give them a chance – cut back all overgrown plants, especially those which could conceal entry point by windows and doors.

Don’t discuss the details
Try to refrain from discussing your holiday plans in public as the wrong people might learn of your absence.

Set your security system
What use is your alarm system if you don’t set it? Get into a habit a few weeks before you set off to avoid running out the house and failing to hit those few simple buttons.

Don’t use the flowerpot
The film ‘Home Alone’ has grossed nearly a billion dollars, don’t assume that the burglars operating in your area haven’t seen it. Arrange a more secure method of distributing spare keys than the flowerpot by the door.

Try ticking off these as you go, and help make your holiday experience as stress free as possible. This article was brought to you in association with Yale Door.

Yale Keyfree is the keyless locking system developed exclusively by Yale. The Keyfree locking system combines futuristic functionality with police approved security features – changing the way you think he security around your composite door, visit: http://www.yaledoor.co.uk/keyless-door-lock.html.