Burglaries tend to soar over the festive period, and some areas of the UK are more at risk from Christmas burglars than others.
In this post we’ll share some tips for protecting your home from burglaries over Christmas, along with some advice on keeping certain high value items safe over the festive period and beyond.
Remember: Our High Net Worth insurance team is always on hand to discuss how you can best protect your most valuable possessions. If you want to discuss your needs, get in touch on 0208 290 9086 or email us at personal@anthonyjones.com.
Why Do Burglars Target Homes Over Christmas?
There are two main reasons why so many Christmases are ruined by robberies:
- Expensive gifts. Many people exchange expensive gifts at Christmas. An opportunistic burglar could effectively pick a house at random – any house – and they’ll have a high chance of finding lots of lucrative jewellery, electronics, and other high value items to steal.
- Lots of people visit friends and family over Christmas, leaving their homes empty and more vulnerable to break-in. And because a lot of people spend the entire Christmas period away from home, they won’t discover the crime until days after the break-in, by which time there will probably be very little the police can do.
How to Prevent Christmas Burglaries
- Go WIDE – WIDE is an acronym created by Neighbourhood Watch to help you remember the fundamentals of home security: Window locks, indoor lights on a timer, doors double-locked, and external lights on a sensor.
- Make it look like someone’s home at all times – Why does Neighbourhood Watch recommend indoor lights on a timer? Because this will make it look like someone’s home, which can be enough to deter opportunistic burglars. This is particularly important if you’re travelling over the Christmas period. You could go further through leaving the radio on while you’re out, or even leaving an ironing board with a pile of clothes visible through the window.
- Talk to your neighbours – If you’ll be away over the Christmas period, you could ask your neighbours to keep an eye on your house while you’re gone. Or even better, ask them to address the telltale signs that nobody’s in. This could involve putting your bins out and taking them in, clearing snow and leaves from your path, or parking in your driveway so that it’s not obviously empty.
- Don’t let the post pile up – Use the Royal Mail’s Keepsafe service, to hold all of your post while you’re away. This way, it won’t all accumulate in your letterbox or behind your door, which can be another sign that criminals look for to make sure nobody’s home.
- Stay off social – If you’re going away over Christmas, even if it’s just for a night, take care about what you put on social media. Savvy burglars can identify you and your address from even the most innocuous of posts. So don’t make it obvious that you’re not at home. Keep your itinerary to yourself, and don’t let others tag you in posts either.
Keeping Your Presents Safe Over Christmas
- Keep things hidden – Most people go to great lengths to keep gifts secret from friends and family. You should be just as concerned about hiding them from thieves. Don’t leave them on display in your car when you’re travelling, and don’t leave your boot open when you’re loading and unloading your car. Also, as nice as it is to place presents under a Christmas tree, this can also make life very easy indeed for burglars.
- Don’t shout about it – No matter how much you love your Christmas present, don’t post about it on social media. As we’ve seen, thieves monitor social media for opportunities. Make sure nobody else in your household posts about their high value presents, either.
- Take care with your rubbish – Break up any packaging before you put it in the bin. It’s common to see big bulky boxes left out alongside bins over the Christmas period, demonstrating to any passing thieves that there’s a pricey new TV in this house, prime for the taking.
Keep Your High Value Items Safe
Of course, keeping your high value items safe is for life, not just for Christmas. If you collect or keep high value items in your home, then you should take extra steps to keeping your home and your property safe and secure.
Consider investing in advanced security systems including both internal and external CCTV, burglar alarms, lighting sensors, and safes.
Remember You May Need Specific Cover for High Value Items
Also remember that your standard home contents insurance policy may not cover you for certain high value items. You may need dedicated high net worth insurance to cover any particularly valuable or collectible items.
Our High Net Worth insurance team is always on hand to discuss how you can best protect your most valuable possessions. If you want to discuss your needs, get in touch on 0208 290 9086 or email us at personal@anthonyjones.com.
