“With people taking off on holiday over the Easter period, there will be more empty homes and quieter streets, which appeals to organised and opportunistic thieves,” says Charnel Hattingh, Head of Marketing and Communications at Fidelity ADT .

“The best defence is to make your property as unattractive to criminals as possible”

The top items on your home security checklist should include:

• Make it look like you are still home.  Ask your neighbours to pop in, switch lights on and open the curtains. They can put the sprinklers on and clear your post box so that your property looks occupied. Modern technology also makes it easy to control the lights and other electrical items by remote, from wherever you are in the world.
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• Keep it quiet. It’s better not to broadcast to the whole world that you will be away from your property for an extended period.
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• Lock, check, and double-check. Outward-facing windows, garage doors, and even tool sheds should be locked properly before leaving. If your carport of the garage leads into the main house, then your alarm system should be set up to monitor this as a potential access point.

“Talk to your security provider about any concerns you have about your security system before you leave. It may even be a good idea to get one of their consultants out to cast an eye around your property – a trained eye may pick up weaknesses you have not noticed.

“Tightening up small vulnerabilities can amount to a huge relief when it comes to home security. Do not leave anything to chance this Easter,” says Hattingh.