Over the Christmas period we tend to let our guard down a little and wind down, relax and have fun. But unfortunately, we need to retain a degree of vigilance and not just from covid, but from another seasonal threat – burglaries.

Burglary rates increase over the festive period – the combination of empty homes and expensive gifts inside them makes an attractive proposition to a burglar so be aware that there are plenty more thieves on the hunt for a quick steal at this time of the year.

Here are some things that you can do to protect your home from this at Christmas…

If you are going away, don’t post any of the plans on social media. Ask a neighbour to pop in a couple of times a day and put your lights on a timer to give the impression that someone is at home.

Make sure that you have a home security system – contact a company like CCTV Manchester based company Red Dam to install one for you – these are also a great visual deterrent to would-be thieves.

Careful of your external Christmas lights – if you run the wire through a window to the outside, it only needs a burglar to spot this and it is all that someone needs to be able to force the window open and get inside the house. If possible, use an external plug socket for outdoor lights to keep your home more secure.