Vacationers are especially warned: the six-week summer vacation is high season for burglars.
With these tricks you can prepare yourself.
Every year, burglars prepare for their personal high season: the summer holidays, when families are on vacation and their homes are unguarded.
But what can you do to protect your property and all the valuables inside?
Close windows and doors but leave curtains open
Locking windows and doors is the most obvious step.
Experts also advise against leaving valuables
within sight of the windows
- especially on the ground floor.
Alarm systems are also effective.
You can also ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your property while you're away.
Also read
: Burglar breaks into house - to then clean it.
Where should you definitely not hide your things?
John Lewis Home Insurance asked some ex-burglars for advice on where people should and shouldn't hide items like jewelry and other small valuables while they were away.
And they say families should avoid hiding valuables in living room drawers and dressers, pots and pans and locked safes that aren't attached to the floor or wall, as those are the places thieves look first.
Also interesting
: burglars are getting bolder - this new method is worrying the police.
But where should you hide the things you don't take with you?
The best hiding places are children's toy boxes or food boxes, say the ex-burglars, rice boxes, cereal boxes.
The invaders will not go through all the food.
The safest room is the children's room, as many burglars see it as a no-go area.
That is an unwritten rule.
The space under the couch is also a good hiding place.
Also DVD cases.
Also read
: Police warn of tricksters: This is how burglars get into your apartment by deception.
Post reveals your absence
A study found that doorstep parcel deliveries are one of the most obvious clues that someone is on vacation.
Online shopping has made it easier, explains one ex-burglar.
If you're walking through the neighborhood and see
a package on your doorstep
, chances are the residents aren't there.
Newspapers and flyers sticking out of the mailbox are just as telltale.
So let your neighbors empty your mail and only deliver the packages when you are back home.
Also interesting
: "Burglars come at night": This is behind burglary myths.
These things reveal that you are not at home
Closed curtains, no car in the driveway - all unwritten invitations for burglars.
So leave
the light on in one room
, preferably in the hallway, advise the ex-burglars on the news website Mirror.
The most sophisticated is the deception with a
timer
.
Research found that burglars spend
up to two months
watching a home before taking action.
One former burglar said he targeted houses between 4 and 5 p.m.
during school
hours , while others preferred to hit
homes at
3 a.m.
when most people were asleep.
Be careful who you tell about your exact vacation plans.
Don't post your upcoming departure
on social media or your mailbox
and let your neighbors know you're leaving.
More on the topic
: Breaking into the apartment: How do I behave in an emergency?
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Crook's tines: Burglars use these secret codes to communicate
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