6 Tips To Keep Your Home Safe This Easter

With incidents of house burglaries typically increasing over holiday periods, it is important for homeowners to ensure they implement precautionary measures to protect themselves and their homes this Easter. 

When you look at your family and your home, you know you want them to be safe, always out of harm’s way. When you leave for work, you expect to come back to a smiling family and to a home that is secure. But as they say, hope is not a strategy. 

 A burglary or theft can lead to devastating consequences, both emotionally and financially.  While the financial loss may be recoverable, the trauma inflicted on your family and yourself may last forever. So take a minute and think about this; is this loss worth the risk? 

According to a report obtained from PC 372 Robinson of the St Lucia Royal Police Force for the period 2012 – 2016, 5251 cases of burglary was reported with last year alone  recording 954 cases. Section 207 of the Criminal Code of Saint Lucia gives the following definition for Burglary. 

  

St Lucia's Burglary Statistics

(1) A person commits the offence of burglary if;

he or she enters any building or part of a building as a trespasser with the intent to commit any offence under subsection (2); or

having entered any building or part of a building as a trespasser he or she steals or attempts to steal anything in the building or part of it or inflicts or attempts to inflict on the person therein any grievous bodily harm.

2) The offences referred to in subsection (1) (a) are offences of;

•   stealing anything in the building or part of the building in question;
•   inflicting on the person in the building any grievous bodily harm;
•   raping a woman in the building; 
•  doing unlawful damage to the building or anything in the building.

Now, there’s no need to lose sleep over this… however, every homeowner should take the necessary preventative steps to reduce their odds of being affected by crime.

Here are some simple tips to increase your overall home security and deter burglars from entering your home.

Solar Motion  Activated Light

Install Motion activated lights

The best defense is a good offense! Homeowners rarely fully comprehend the true value exterior lights have for helping as an added security measure. Keep in mind that a criminal is looking for a place to burglarize or vandalize that is not going to be easy to be detected. Even if you would rather not have bright lights shining outside your home at all times to deter criminal activity, a simple, yet effective method is to illuminate the shadowed parts of your home and access points, consider adding motion-activated lights as a deterrent instead.

Recommendations: 1 - Super 50 LEDs Solar Motion Activated Light.

                             2 – Halogen Security Floodlight

Control Master Electronic Timer

Add Electronic Timers

The goal here is to make it appear as if your home is occupied at all times. Electronic timers are the perfect way to maintain normal light patterns when you’re away. Having your lights on or off at all times, with no variation may be a surefire clue that you’re not home and make your home a target. Similar types of timers can also be used to turn radios or televisions on and off and open/close curtains and drapes.

Use social media wisely

Don’t inadvertently put your home security in jeopardy by promoting your absence on social media. Parents should be vigilant about their children’s social media habits and take time out to discuss safe online behaviour. Tell children not to reveal holiday plans or geo-tag snaps on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram – this gives savvy thieves up-to-the-minute details on your whereabouts, and clues about when the home is likely to be vacant. So, you’ve got to think like a burglar and always be one step ahead of them!

Recommendation: Control Master Electronic Timer

Outdoor camera

Mount Security cameras

Another great way to deter burglars from targeting your home is to record their every move. However, with so many different kinds of home security cameras in the market, deciding which one to install in your home can be a daunting task. In simple terms, you will need an indoor and/or outdoor security camera with night vision and face recognition features. 

There are cameras that have the ability to send the names of the people it sees directly to your smartphone and can store your videos for free, locally or on the cloud, on any device. You can even be notified when your children are home or when it recognizes a stranger – spying made easy! (Need one?Talk to us about your needs)

Alarm systems

Set up Alarm systems

Why do we need a home alarm system? A home alarm system is one of the top ways to protect your home. Having a good home alarm system will lessen or definitely decrease the chance of intruders and thieves from getting into your house.

Recommendations:  1 – Westek Motion Sensor Alarm

2 - Westek Driveway and Entry Alert

Remember the simple things

Simple tasks such as locking your doors every time you go out and even while you’re home are often taken lightly and make it that much easier to invite unwanted guests into your home. Burglars get into your home via the door or a window, so having a visibly sturdy lock is the first step towards home security. Visit Rayneau today. Our CSRs would be happy to recommend the strongest locks for your home. They will have a wide variety ranging from sturdy dead bolt locks to knob locks and even padlocks.

Follow the steps above and you’ll be living in a crime proofed home in no time!