Lock 'em out

In a survey, 20 offenders were asked if they saw a house depicted in a photograph as a suitable target for burglary: 16 said yes, four said no.

Twenty more offenders were shown the same house, but this time with an alarm superimposed on it. In this case the figures were exactly reversed. Sixteen said they would not attempt to burgle it.

In a 1999 Mintel survey, 28 per cent of respondents said that they had experienced a burglary at one time or another.

The 1998 British Crime Survey highlighted the fact that nearly half of the burglary attempts it recorded took place while someone was in the house. Security equipment is important in thwarting such attempts too.

Alarm owners should remember that it is worthwhile to set the alarm at night; it is even possible to alarm a part of the house that is not currently occupied.

In a recent British Security Industry Association survey on domestic alarms, 30 per cent of respondents with an alarm said that they had only bought it after they personally or someone close to them had experienced a burglary -- this was the most common motivation for purchase.

In the BSIA survey (see above), 92 per cent of respondents were completely or mostly satisfied with their alarms.

Alarms can cope with pets and alarm wiring is already in place in many new houses, and it may be possible to update a system with existing wiring.

If the house looks empty it is immediately going to be more attractive to the criminal.

Think about:

Investing in a timer switch on lights so they come on automatically early in the evening;

Leaving a radio on -- select a channel where there is a lot of talking such as Radio 4;

Stopping milk and other deliveries and getting a neighbour to push post through door;

Mowing the lawn before any long absences so the house does not look unattended.

Don't leave keys hidden outside -- for instance under a mat or a flowerpot. Do not leave valuable equipment, such as bikes, unattended in the garden unless locked up.

Shred large boxes that have contained valuable items rather than just putting them next to the dustbin -- this merely flags up to criminals that there is something new in the house worth stealing.

Don't leave doors unlocked, front or back, even when you are in. It is quite common for an intruder to walk in while the homeowner is there, take an item of value and just walk out again.

Don't leave keys and other valuables on tables near to the front door, or attached by string to the letterbox. It is quite common for criminals to reach these items through the letterbox.

Make use of good sturdy locks and padlocks on garages and sheds because these are often a target for thieves.

Glass in doors makes them much more vulnerable. Make sure that glass is laminated.

In most newly-built properties, external doors are fitted with a simple rim lock, also known as a "night latch". For satisfactory security levels a five-lever mortice deadlock should be installed as these are much more difficult to force open and once locked, it can't be opened by a burglar from the outside through the letterbox or a panel.

Downstairs windows should have window locks. These may not be appropriate for bedroom windows as there should be an accessible escape route in the event of a fire. However, locks may be sensible if the window is near to a flat roof.

If a back garden fence is topped with 30-45cm of weak treIlising, a burglar will have great difficulty climbing it without risking being seen and breaking the trellis. The noise involved and the risk of injury is very Iikely to put them off. Security lighting is a useul deterrent -- it can be fitted over front and back doors so that a burglar cannot use cover of darkness to breack in unseen. It can also give added security to members of the household when walking up the drive, and is also useful just for seeing who a caller is. The most common form is passive infra-red which is activated when someone walks into its field of vision -- but make sure the beam doesn't extend onto neighbours' property or the road.

Security equipment for the home is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Security alarms can be set up to also detect fire and carbon monoxide, and to feature panic buttons in appropriate rooms of the house.

Domestic CCTV systems are also increasingly in use to act as a deterrent, check who is at the door, what is happenirg in the garden and to play back a tape if it appears there has been an intruder on the property.

Property marking is all about deterring burglars from stealing your property because they don't want to take property that is traceable back to you.

"Overt marking" is where an item is visibly and permanently marked. "Covert marking" is invisible to the naked eye and is particularly appropriate for items such as antiques that would be devalued or spoiled by visible marking.

A lot of property is never returned to its owners because the police can't identify to whom it belongs. This could also mean that the police cannot prove an individual in possession of stolen property has actually done anything wrong and they may have to eventually give it back to them.

For a wealth of additional information on home securitv go to the BSIA website: www.bsia.co.uk/home-security/hs_index.html