How to stop a burglary at night

Having your property targeted by a burglar is a worrying prospect and it can be even more of a concern if it takes place at night, with yourself and your family in the house.

Often people will take the “if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop it” attitude, but here at SF Locksmiths in Doncaster we know from experience that there are plenty of steps you can take to improve the security of your house at night and deter a burglar.

Where we attend houses as an emergency Doncaster Locksmith call-out after a late night break-in, it’s all too often that the victim admits that they forgot one of the important parts of a night time lock-up routine. Having a solid night time lock-up routine ensures that your home is fully secure before going to bed, and means that after time it becomes a habit.

Here’s what we would recommend including in your own nightly lock-up routine…

1. Outdoor space – check & secure

Before you lock up for the night it’s a good idea to check your outdoor spaces and garden. Double check the locks on any sheds, garages and gates and make sure any outside lights are on and, if on a sensor, working as they should be.

It’s especially important that these outdoor lights illuminate the places that your neighbours or passers-by can see, so that they will notice any attempt of a break-in on your property. If you light up private spaces, for example around the back of your property, you may just be assisting a burglar with a break in.

2. Keys – lock up & hide away

Lock all of your doors and windows as soon as you get into the house and always check them again as part of your routine before you go to bed. Once you’ve locked your doors and windows be sure to remove your keys from the locks! Doing this and placing them somewhere secure will mean that they can’t be stolen via a letterbox or cat flap during the night. Also tell each family member where the keys will be kept, in case you need to vacate the property in an emergency.

3. Belongings – keep them out of site

At night the last thing you want to do is leave all of your prized positions out on display for any potential thieves to see. Leaving out high value items such as tablets, laptops, handbags, phones and car keys can be the very thing that gives a burglar the reason to break in, as these are things that can be easily grabbed for a quick getaway. Get into the habit of placing these items in a safe place, out of sight, once you’ve finished with them.

Closing all of your curtains and blinds at dusk can also stop thieves from taking a peak through your windows at night to see what’s inside worth stealing.

4. Alarms – Set and check

So many burglary victims have house alarms installed but either don’t use them regularly, or unfortunately on the night of the burglary forgot to set them. If you have a house alarm be sure to check that it’s been properly set each night before you go to bed as part of your normal routine. Some house alarms with motion sensors have a night time setting allowing certain amounts of normal movement around the house at night, whilst still monitoring for anything out of the ordinary.