As we head into winter and the clocks go back, we really start to notice the longer hours of darkness. Getting up on dark mornings and coming home from work after the sun has set can be a difficult thing to adjust to and the winter months can increase the rates of depression due to the reduced hours of sunlight.
They also bring with them another thing to worry about – with the longer hours of darkness, comes the opportunity for burglars to have much easier access to your property – the reduced chances of being spotted mean that winter is the most common time for burglars to strike. Here are three things to be wary of this winter, and how you can protect them from the risks of burglaries and theft…
Vehicle Theft – Vehicles are one of the things that are much more vulnerable to theft in the winter. Where you park your vehicle is something g that makes a big difference to its safety. Of course, the best place to keep your vehicle in an ideal world is in a secure garage but this is not something that we all have access to. If possible, park your vehicle in an area that has plenty of light, even if you park on the street under a streetlight, is the best place. If you do park on the street one trick you can use is also to park with the wheels turned into the kerb – this makes it much more difficult for someone who is stealing the car to make a quick getaway with it.
It is also good to make sure that your car has security in it, such as an alarm system and safety locking.
House Burglary – People breaking into the home is much more common when there is little light to see what is going on. Look for places where burglars may be able to access your property and try to think how they would – is there a weak bit of fence at the end of the garden? Do you have a dark side entrance to the house which would be easy for a burglar to sneak into undetected? Once you have identified the weak points you can then take action to repair them – make repairs and install lighting and security cameras in places that a burglar is likely to try to gain access. You could also grow spiky plants and bushes such as blackthorn around the edge of the garden to make it harder for a burglar to climb over.
Data Theft – This is a serious crime and is something that criminals use to get hold of your details and commit identity fraud. One good way to prevent this is to make sure that you do not throw anything out in the bin or recycling bin that contains your personal information – criminals don’t need much to be able to commit fraud. To dispose of personal information, a confidential shredding service like this https://www.printwaste.co.uk/confidential-shredding/ so that you can be sure that your details have been safely destroyed.
