DARALYN SCHOENEWALD
Province
It’s summer time, and the pickings are easy – for bulars.
Most security and insurance experts agree that burlaries tend to increase during July and August when most people go on vacation.
Burglars know the signs that let them know a family isn’t at home: a porch light left on all day, newspapers piling up in the driveway or a mailbox that is stuffed full, said security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs the security-education website www.crimedactar.com.
The good news is there are a number of things you can do to protect your house or apartment while you are away, Mcoey says.
* Won’t you be my neighbour?
“The best method is to seek help from adjoining neighbours in watching your home and making it look occupied, Have them park a car in your driveway, raise the window shades occasionally, put out garbage cans on schedule, etc.”
* Lockdown:Ensure that all door and window locks are working properly. Rose Rougeau, spokeswoman AAA, suggested investing in slide-lock protection for sliding glass doors, which are a frequent point for burglars.
* Remote control: “Consider buying a light timer set for every evening” Rougeau said, “Setting up multiple timers in alternating rooms works best,”
Timers for your radio are also a good idea, she said.
* Read it later: McGoey and Rougeau both suggested temporarily cancelling newspapers and postponing mail deliver.
* Rearrangement: Rougeau also suggests moving electronic equipment away from the windows so it won’t be easily visible, and arranging for lawn service.
Protecting your home from burglars while you’re out of town doesn’t mean you are free from them while vacationing. Thieves are known to target hotel rooms, McGoey said. Some tips:
** Aim high: He suggests choosing a newer hotel and requesting a room on an upper floor to reduce crime exposure.
“Ground-floor rooms are more vulnerable to crime problems because of access and ease of escape,” he said in a Crime Doctor article.
** You are not alone: Women travelling alone or with young children should use car-valet services and try to avoid hotel parking lots.
** Anybody there? Putting a “do not disturb” sign on the hotel-room doorknob, leaving a TV or radio on loud enough to hear through the door and leaving a small light on at all times will help deter a potential burglar, he added.
McGoey said he has heard hundreds of stories about how a home burglary wiped out years of records on home computers and ended up in the loss of irreplaceable items and ultimately left the family feeling unsafe.
