Home safety tips this Christmas
The holidays are here.
If you’re lucky enough to be off all of Christmas week then you are probably finishing off your Christmas shopping.
Then again, you could be part of the 67% of households that have everything wrapped up (no pun intended) ahead of the last few shopping days.
On average Irish households will spend €587 on Christmas gifts this year and we’re set to spend roughly €177 on that special person in our lives.
As we start to accumulate all these gifts (the most expensive items bought online include: laptops – average €610, TVs, jewellery, smartphones and tablets) home safety and preventing burglaries becomes a top priority for you and your loved ones.
To help you with this, we have this expert advice from Sergeant Jim Molloy, Garda Press and Public Relations at An Garda Síochána.
“The key is to make your home look and feel difficult to break into. Therefore it’s important to make it look like someone’s home and if not, make it difficult to break into without being noticed. One of the easiest ways is to invest in sensor security lights for any dark area around the house.”
We’ve also spoken with Peter Murray, the Certified Security Risk Assessor at Stop the Burglar who has this advice.
“Remember there are only three ways into your home: The door, the window, or you let them in by answering the door to a caller.”
“Check your windows, and how the glass is held in. Please check if the glazing slip which holds in the glass is on the inside of the window or on the outside. If on the inside all is well. If from the outside please add the NO GO window pane lock to the inside.”
Peter also advises to make sure every area is completely secure.
“It’s also important that all external doors have a visible second lock. This means adding a double throw bolt above your existing lock, which will be a visible deterrent and will help prevent your door from being broken and any presents being stolen”.
As for those presents, “If gifts are under the tree, consider using a festive throw over the wrapped presents”.
Source: Aviva Protecting Your Home.
