Home Security

Good home security is the best way to reduce your chances of being burgled. A lot of burglaries occur on the spur of the moment, as a burglar may see an open window or other easy point of entry and take their chance. Criminals do not want to be seen or heard while committing crime - good lighting, house alarms and crunchy surfaces such as gravel are all effective deterrents. Below is some useful information and advice.

Lighting

During the winter months it is important to remember some basic points to make your house look occupied when you are out.

Always leave a light on when you are going to return home after dark
Ideally, illuminate the house in a way that will provide background lighting without making it easy for people to see into your front room
Use a timing device or light sensor switch to save electricity
If possible, fit a light in your porch or adjacent to your front door – consider a lamp with a motion sensor
Leave a radio on at medium volume -preferably a station such as BBC 5 Live, Talk Sport or BBC Radio 4 which broadcasts very little music – background voices could indicate people at home.

Around the exterior of your home

There are measures that you can take around the exterior of your house that can aid security whilst being pleasing to the eye. Defensive planting is an inexpensive way of protecting your property from intruders. Plants with thorns can act as a deterrent to burglars – rambling roses such as Rosa Kiftsgate can grow canes up to 10 metres long in a year and produce an impenetrable barrier relatively quickly. It is ideal for growing up walls – the thorns are particularly prickly.

Ground cover roses can prove very useful for protecting downstairs windows. The stems on these plants interlock and are difficult to negotiate in standard footwear. Few burglars wear thigh boots and protective gauntlets when carrying out their nefarious trade, for fear of standing out. Being low level plants, they can protect vulnerable windows whilst not providing cover for criminal activity.

Other plants to consider for defensive planting are Berberis, Mahonia, Pyracantha, Holly, Hawthorn, Gorse or Buckthorn. These are ideal shrubs to plant along boundary fences and walls to provide an environmentally barrier. The berries on these shrubs also attract birds.

If you are nterested in purchasing an alarm system for your home, visit www.nsi.org.uk to find an approved company in your area.

Sheds, garages and outbuildings

Many people underestimate the value of items they store in their shed, garage or garden. Unfortunately, criminals are fully aware of the value of goods that some people do store in vulnerable places.

For more information on how to secure items in your garden, click here.

Beware of fishermen

Many people have a tendency to park their car on the driveway, walk in through the front door and leave the car keys on the hall table. A burglar could see them through the letterbox, put a long stick, cane or even a fishing rod through your letterbox and 'hook' your keys.

An accomplished burglar can do this quite quickly. Once they have possession of the keys, stealing the car is the easy bit.

Always keep your car keys in a relatively secure place indoors where they cannot be 'fished' from your property.

For more information and advice, click here to download the 'Gone Fishing' poster.

Postcoding

We all have the means to make our property identifiable with a serial number that is peculiar to a specific address. It the house postcode and number is discretely written onto property with the aid of an Ultraviolet marker pen, then if found in the possession of another person, this can readily be returned to its rightful owner. All police officers carry a small Ultraviolet keyring light to scan property during stop-checks etc.

Postcoding basics:

Discretely write the postcode and house number of your property
When coding televisions and computer monitors DO NOT write on the screen
The same applies to CDs and DVDs – do not write on the playing area unless you want psychedelic sound!
Make sure that the marked area is not in direct sunlight
Postcode mobile phones underneath the battery, inside the phone as well as on the casing
If you move house, put a cross beside the old postcode and write the new code and house number underneath
Clothing can be postcoded, but this should be done inside the garment only
Antiques and jewellery should not be postcoded as this could devalue them. Take a photograph of the object and keep it in a safe place – an indication of size should be included in the photograph (e.g. a ruler, coin beside a ring etc.)
Garden tools should be visibly marked using a hammer and punch kit
Bicycles and mobility scooters should be electronically tagged under the Southend Cycle Watch scheme
Wrist watches should be visibly marked on the rear of the casing using a scribe and stencil

Postcoding kits which contain an electric engraver, hammer and punch kit and scribes are available on short-term loan from the Southend Community Engagement Unit. Contact 01702 464199.

Ultraviolet (UV) marking pens are available at Community Safety Roadshow events. For more information visit the What's on page.

To download a flyer with information on how to use a UV marking kit, click on the image below.

Looking for more?

Information on how to 'be safe' can be found on the Essex Police website

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