The motivation of the average burglar is easy enough to understand. They target your home because they want to strip it of all the valuables they can. When it comes to protecting the home, a good way to do that is to identify what, exactly, they’re after and how you can ensure they don’t get their hands on it.
Most burglars take advantage of an opportunity for theft when they see it. A door left open, a bike left in plain sight, a clear unsecure window, these are the opportunities they’re looking for. During these impromptu robberies, it’s the easiest-to-grab items they will take. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most commonly stolen items and what you can do to protect them.
Smartphones
Small, easily concealed, and very easy to pick up and run, a smartphone left lying unattended will be one of the very first things a burglar takes on entering a home. Nowadays, smartphones come with features that can help you stop unauthorised access. For instance, linking it to a Google account can help you not only track the phone, but find its location so that you can alert the authorities.
Mobile computing devices
Many mobile computing devices, including tablets and laptops, come with similar features and software you can install that allows you to track it. There are also small devices that can be attached to your electronics that can cause an alarm when they are disturbed or act as a GPS tracker. If you have a decent sized home safe, you can also keep those devices locked away when they’re not in use.
Home entertainment
Our home entertainment systems are getting more sophisticated and, as a result, much more valuable. Your 4K 3D HD television, game consoles, and surround sound systems are light, very portable, and extremely easy to sell. You can secure things like TVs just as you would secure your bike. Using a heavy-duty chain and access caps, you can lock it to the wall mount or display stand so that it can’t simply be lifted. What’s more, those asset protection devices can be attached to all of your electronics, triggering a security system, if the devices are moved without the right authorisation steps being taken ahead of time. For smaller home entertainment devices such as VR headsets or game console accessories, home safes can provide complete protection.
Cash and jewellery
Many people still keep cash savings in the home, whether it’s the Christmas piggy bank or your more substantial emergency fund. Jewellery is just as commonly found in the average household and can be just as valuable. Jewellery boxes, even those with locks and hidden compartments, are no match for a dedicated thief who will simply take it with them. The only effective protection on the market is bolted down home safes that are too heavy to easily transport and well secured against invasion.
Bicycles
In the UK, a bicycle is stolen approximately every minute. Since they can simply be ridden or wheeled away, they make not only the perfect portable steal but also a getaway vehicle. An expensive bicycle can be sold at an easy profit on online marketplaces. Registering your bicycle number and Radio Frequency Identification tagging can help the authorities recognise a stolen bike much more easily. However, investing in a premium quality D-Lock is still the most effective way to protect it. It acts not only as a preventative measure but also as effective deterrence.
Prevent burglars from targeting your home
There are three steps to effective home protection against burglary. Denying them the opportunity, deterring theft, and alerting you and the authorities. CCTV cameras are expensive, but they work in all three manners, as they are highly visible, showing that your home is protected. However, it can be just as effective to reinforce entryways and not leaving doors and windows wide open if you’re not in the home and fully aware of the surroundings. Buying heavy-duty locks for the doors and installing secure windows can stop them from easily accessing the home on a whim. If you can, invest in a home security system with an alarm that can contact you and the emergency services if it’s triggered.
If you want to make sure your home is safe, you have to do what you can to prevent burglars from entering the home and also from taking what they can if they do get in. Cash safes from Safety Storage Centre can play a key role in doing just that.
