WITH the temperature falling in recent weeks, many of us who are lucky enough to have the time off work are planning to head south on vacation.
Unfortunately, we're not the only ones with winter plans.
The Christmas-New Year's break is a time when a lot of people go on vacation and criminals know that, too. They're looking for those houses where there are no lights and the drapes are down. Make sure your place looks like someone is living inside.
Const. Isabelle Cotton of the Toronto Police Service has some essential burglary prevention tips for homeowners, even for those who aren't going on vacation.
"If you buy a new place, you've got to change the locks, she says. "We are all guilty of leaving a key under the mat or in the mailbox," says Cotton. "Don't do it. That's the first place criminals will look. We park the car and forget to lock it and the garage opener is in the car. This is also a place criminals will look."
Before you set off on holiday, there are a few things you can do to dissuade burglars from targeting your property.
First, advise your neighbours or a friend or family member you are going on vacation. Give that person the keys so that once in a while they can go and check the property, says Cotton. Have your neighbour park in your spot. Cancel the newspaper, and arrange to have someone shovel your sidewalks and driveway if there's an appreciable snowfall.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada suggests programming the radio to switch on intermittently. Tune it to a call-in show to give the impression someone is home.
Connect a good alarm system to the doors and windows. The Insurance Bureau suggests a device with an auxiliary power source that will work even if the power fails.
Your local DIY store will have a range of window and door locks and other devices to thwart would-be thieves.
"We carry glass break detectors. If the detector senses an excessive vibration, it will emit a loud chime or an alarm," says Nilton Brum, tools and hardware manager at RONA Home & Garden. "That's something where the burglar tries to break in and the initial impact isn't enough to break in, and that might be something that scares them off."
Consider, too, thieves tend to have favourite routes into a home.
Basement windows are a very common point of entry. Windows, skylights -- those are the worst, says Cotton. Patio doors are easy to break into. The small bathroom window is also a means of entry that they use all the time.
Blocking these common entry points can put off all but the most determined housebreaker. And you needn't spend a lot of money to secure your home; often, a low-tech solution works just as well.
A quick fix is just to buy a wooden dowel and cut it to the length of the (sliding patio) door and slide it along the bottom track, says Brum. That would prevent the door from sliding open.
If your neighbours can't stop in on a regular basis, use light timers to help give your home that lived-in look. And stagger them to look as if you've just come home -- having every light switch on at once is a bit of a giveaway.
And if despite your best efforts the thieves make it into the home, exercise caution, Cotton says.
"If you know that there has been a break-and-enter... don't go inside," says Cotton. Call the police right away so we can take prints.
-- Postmedia News
