Boost your home’s security in Horsham before Christmas

While our calendar’s still in October, it’s already beginning to feel a little like Christmas as baubles and light-bedecked trees appear in retail stores. So will you be heading away in the holiday season? And have you considered boosting the security of your Horsham home before you hit the road in festive mode?

If you have a coastal holiday or an exciting weekend in Melbourne planned over the Christmas break, it’s worth recognising that while you’re away, criminals often choose to play. Especially when they know a home is unoccupied.

No-one wants the Christmas spirit stripped away by burglars. Imagine having to break the news to your kids that their favourite presents – perhaps that piece of much-loved technology they got from Santa – have been stolen in a home burglary. In some cases offenders have hit households before December 25, hauling away carefully wrapped gifts from under the Christmas tree. It’s a heartbreaking loss for kids and parents and it dulls the gloss on a great time of the year.

So what can you do to increase the security of your Horsham home and its contents during this period? The answer is, quite a lot. So roll up your sleeves and get cracking.

At Sectrol, we believe a quality security alarm system – we recommend the Hills NX range – is an efficient and cost-effective way to deter criminals. Our team can connect a Hills NX system to other security devices for quality cover, including passive infra red detectors, reed switches and smoke detectors.

Sectrol also offers round-the-clock monitoring of alarm systems as well as alarm response and maintenance services.

But there are also basic measures you can carry out yourself. Before you drive off, with the Wimmera’s wheatbelt reflecting in your rear-vision mirror:

• Check that all windows and doors at your home are locked, including garage and shed doors and gates.
• Prune back vegetation from around your home. This removes options for offenders wanting to seek cover.
• Ask a friend or family member to clear mail, newspapers or advertising material from your letterbox every day. Nothing spells `no-one’s home’ like a growing spill of junk mail.
•  The same goes for your rubbish bins. Organise someone to put them out and bring them in on collection days.
• Get your yard tidy before you leave and, if you’ll be away for several weeks, ask a friend to mow the lawn for you in your absence.
• Make sure your external sensor lights are working effectively. If you don’t have any, consider installing them.
• Also consider automatic timers for internal lights. These help create the appearance that the home is occupied.
• And while approaching holidays are exciting, don’t tell the world through social media that you are heading off on holidays. That’s like rolling out the red carpet to burglars.

If you would like more information about residential security Horsham people can adopt to help keep burglars at bay, please contact us at Sectrol. From quality advice to security alarm system installation, we can help you protect your home this Christmas season.