While burglary rates are decreasing year on year, over 400,000 households experienced a break-in in 2019, with the rate of burglaries increasing each year around the Christmas period. With this in mind, we all want to do whatever we can to prevent such a crime happening to us – thankfully, securing your home has never been easier.

In the last few years, there’s been huge developments in home security, with home security solutions being more accessible to the average UK household than ever. All homes in the UK can now invest in security solutions to prevent break-ins happening to them – and everyone certainly should.

Here are just three of the most impactful security improvements that everybody should make to their home to prevent burglaries happening to them.

Install A Video Doorbell

One of the most popular home security measures in recent years is the use of video doorbells. These devices use a built-in camera, often activated whenever the doorbell is pressed or through the use of a motion sensor, to send a live image of whoever is calling directly to the homeowner’s phone. In many video doorbell devices, this footage is saved to an SD card or other portable memory device, too, so that it can be used as evidence if you should ever need to.

While this may not seem like a device designed to prevent burglaries, the last few years have seen a worldwide rise in the number of ‘knock knock burglaries’ – burglaries which occurred after the homeowner was tricked into answering the door to a burglar. In fact, around 28% of burglaries occur while the homeowner is in the house, with the majority taking place between 10am and 3pm.

In some cases, the mystery caller is there simply as a distraction while a criminal partner attempts to access the house through other means, usually through a window or door at the back of the property. However, in many cases, the burglar will create a false reason to be allowed into the home, where they’ll make their move whilst the homeowner is distracted.

In any case, a video doorbell is a much-needed security upgrade to many homes. These devices act both as a deterrent – as burglars are much less likely to strike when they know they are being captured on camera – and as a way of securing evidence in the event that a burglary does happen to you.

Upgrade Your Locks

Around 40% of break-ins occur through forced entry, so it’s always worth upgrading the locks on your doors and windows to make forced entry much more difficult.

The majority of burglars gain entry through the back of the home. This is due in part to the reduced risk of being caught by the homeowner, neighbours or people passing by, but is also due to the fact that many back doors and windows often do not have the same standard of lock as those at the front of the house.

For maximum security, ensure that your front and back door have at least two different locks fitted. Many insurance companies recommend that front doors have a deadbolt lock fitted – these locks are much more resistant to picking and breaking.

If your back door isn’t a traditional door, but rather a set of patio doors, there are extra measures that you can take to secure these, too. Patlocks are a type of lock which can be easily fitted to the handles of glass patio doors from the inside of your home and cannot be opened from the exterior. While this device doesn’t use a traditional lock and key mechanism, Patlocks can only be opened from the side of the door that they are secured to, and can only be unlocked using both hands at the same time – there’s very little risk that a burglar would ever be able to get past them.

Finally, ensure that your windows are locked each and every time you leave the house or retire upstairs for the night – 23% of burglars gain entry through windows. It’s also worth upgrading your window locks if you can, too.

Install An Intruder Alarm

Intruder alarms are nothing new – the first ever intruder alarm was invented in 1853! However, they remain the best defence that you can bring into your home in a bid to prevent burglaries.

Most intruder alarms work through the installation of motion sensors around your home, which are switched on using a code that can be input into a wall-mounted control panel. Once switched on, the alarms will sound whenever a motion sensor in your home picks up any movement.

The idea behind intruder alarms is that they act as both a deterrent and means of scaring a burglar away from your home in the event that they do gain entry and set the alarm off. As they can only be switched off using the correct code, burglars will not attempt to switch off the alarm once it has sounded, as by that point, the homeowner is already aware of their presence.

Put simply, if you have a home, you should also have a home intruder system.

At TNS Electrical, fitting homes with intruder alarms is just one of the many helpful services that we provide – and we ensure that we carry out each and every service with the highest level of professionalism and care that we possibly can.

Everybody deserves to feel safe within their own home – if you haven’t yet invested in a burglar alarm for your home, get in contact with TNS Electrical and we’ll be happy to help.