Keep your home safe this festive season

It’s that time of the year again when we planned trips and vacation to celebrate the festive season with relatives and friends in other areas. It is also important that we invest in the security of our homes while we are away.

Here are few tips on how to keep your house safe while you are away this festive season:

1.Neighbours watch- Telling your neighbours that you won’t be around and asking them to keep an eye on your property is a must, if are planning to go away this weekend.

2. Leave your contacts details with your neighbours where they can easily get hold of you when there is something suspicious.

3. Have someone in the area check your house periodically. Whether it’s a neighbor or relative, nothing beats having a person check the premises every day or two while you’re gone or rather have someone you trust still living in your house while you are away . Someone who will temporarily and water the plants, feed the pets and pick up newspapers while you are away.

4. Make your home looks lively; don’t close your blinds when you leave on vacation if you usually keep them open. The more normal your home looks, the better.

5. To help create the illusion that your home is still occupied, invest in timers that turn on the interior lights for a few hours every evening. If you can get a neighbor to take out your garbage and put the cans back after the garbage pickup, it’s another way to send the message that everything is proceeding normally at your house.

6. White River’s station’s manager Capt Rekios Mogane also emphasised on the need to liaise with sector managers or security companies around your area to make patrols while you are away and ensure that you supply all the necessary information regarding nearby key holders, in case of an emergency.

7.Stop all newspaper deliveries and ask a friend or neighbour to collect your post. A bulging post box is a dead giveaway that you are not at home

8.Double check that you have locked and secured all windows and doors before leaving home.

9.Ensure that all your outside locks are a minimum of four lever locks or double cylinder security locks.

10.Never leave a key in the inside of an outer door which has glass panels or glass near the door lock.

11.Having security gates fitted on outer doors is a highly effective security measure that gives you an extra line of defence.

12.Sliding doors can be secured simply by placing a piece of timber cut to size in the sliding rail. Make sure that sliding doors cannot be lifted vertically.

The SAPS onlinejournal suggests the following to prevent easy access in your home: window bars , security doors ,security gates ,razor wire, additional locking devices on doors, strengthening of doors ,safety chains to doors and intercom systems between the home and gate, front door or garage .