Ensure your home is safe and sound this holiday season.
Balik kampung
is one of the most exciting parts of the festive season – good food,
catching up with friends and family, and exchanging gifts. However, it
also means you will probably have to leave your home unattended for long
periods. With the ever-increasing number of house break-ins reported,
it’s easy to get paranoid about who might be ‘visiting’ your home when
you are not there.
Taking some cautionary steps before you leave will ensure not just the safety of your residence, but also your peace of mind.
Tip 1: Home Lockdown
Securing your home is one of the best ways to keep it burglar-free. Make sure all doors and windows are locked and that all locks are in good condition. Try to get this done early as the last thing you want as you are leaving is to discover that your window locks are spoilt.
Tip 2: Ring the alarm
If you wince at the cost of installing a burglar alarm, think again. You will be kicking yourself when you get home from a trip and realise the amount you lost to a burglar. This will burn a bigger hole in your pocket than a security alarm would have cost!
Tip 3: Be wise
If you have large amounts of cash and jewellery, deposit them in the bank.
Tip 4: Fake it
Leave a radio on and install timers to ensure your house is lit up at night. There is nothing more indicative of an empty home than one dark house in a row of 10 bright ones.
Tip 5: Hide the signs
Another important thing to do is to cancel newspaper subscriptions when you are away, as newspapers lying around are a sure sign that no one is home. It is advisable to get someone to collect your mail for you.
Tip 6: Limit access
Put away all ladders or other objects that might help a burglar gain access to your house. This includes cutting down tree branches that are close to windows and trimming overgrown bushes where someone could hide behind.
Tip 7: Meet and greet
Make sure you get to know all your neighbours. In this day and age, our busy lives tend to get in the way of good neighbourliness. If you keep an eye on your neighbours’ homes while they are away, they will be happy to do the same for you.
Tip 8: Safety in numbers
Organising a ‘Street Watch’ or Rukun Tetangga will keep neighbours alert to suspicious characters loitering around. Members of a ‘Street Watch’ should have each other’s telephone numbers in the case of an emergency.
Tip 9: Call a friend
Leave a spare key with a trusted neighbour or friend so that he or she can enter your house every few days to ensure all is in order. Give them a call every few days and leave your contact number.
Taking some cautionary steps before you leave will ensure not just the safety of your residence, but also your peace of mind.
Tip 1: Home Lockdown
Securing your home is one of the best ways to keep it burglar-free. Make sure all doors and windows are locked and that all locks are in good condition. Try to get this done early as the last thing you want as you are leaving is to discover that your window locks are spoilt.
Tip 2: Ring the alarm
If you wince at the cost of installing a burglar alarm, think again. You will be kicking yourself when you get home from a trip and realise the amount you lost to a burglar. This will burn a bigger hole in your pocket than a security alarm would have cost!
Tip 3: Be wise
If you have large amounts of cash and jewellery, deposit them in the bank.
Tip 4: Fake it
Leave a radio on and install timers to ensure your house is lit up at night. There is nothing more indicative of an empty home than one dark house in a row of 10 bright ones.
Tip 5: Hide the signs
Another important thing to do is to cancel newspaper subscriptions when you are away, as newspapers lying around are a sure sign that no one is home. It is advisable to get someone to collect your mail for you.
Tip 6: Limit access
Put away all ladders or other objects that might help a burglar gain access to your house. This includes cutting down tree branches that are close to windows and trimming overgrown bushes where someone could hide behind.
Tip 7: Meet and greet
Make sure you get to know all your neighbours. In this day and age, our busy lives tend to get in the way of good neighbourliness. If you keep an eye on your neighbours’ homes while they are away, they will be happy to do the same for you.
Tip 8: Safety in numbers
Organising a ‘Street Watch’ or Rukun Tetangga will keep neighbours alert to suspicious characters loitering around. Members of a ‘Street Watch’ should have each other’s telephone numbers in the case of an emergency.
Tip 9: Call a friend
Leave a spare key with a trusted neighbour or friend so that he or she can enter your house every few days to ensure all is in order. Give them a call every few days and leave your contact number.
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