14 Tips to avoid theft at Christmas
Throughout more than 100 years of experience we have been able to verify that during the festive periods there is a considerable increase in thefts in homes, businesses and companies. That is why we are going to provide the main tips to avoid theft at Christmas:
1. Review and get to know our home, business or company
Before leaving home, put yourself in the situation, that is, in the shoes of the thief. It’s simple, you just have to walk around your house and look for the most accessible points to your home, business or company. What entrance and exit doors do you have? Are they safe? Do you have windows, terraces, galleries or patios from which they can enter the house?
2. Security both when entering and leaving the premises
All the systems you install to prevent theft at home should protect you, but never prevent you from leaving quickly in case of emergency. The last thing we want is for us to be locked inside our house with the thief inside.
3. How to find the best security system
To protect a home, a business or a company in the safest way, it will be necessary to consult with experts in the sector. At Gruber and thanks to our technical department we have managed to achieve excellence in security. Every correct security system must be segmented into 3 key points:
Safes: Safes are the main protection when it comes to the security of our objects of value. We must deposit cash, jewelry, lotteries… inside, it is the only way to guarantee correct protection.
Armored doors: Security doors or armored doors are a security mechanism that limits intrusion into the interior of the enclosure that we wish to protect over time. In short, they are passage doors with reinforced systems, we should never think that with a security door we will achieve correct protection of our assets.
Alarms and security systems: If to prevent theft at home you decide on an alarm, presence detectors and security cameras spread throughout the house, you will have to thoroughly inform yourself about the service you are going to hire and the effectiveness of the systems for which you are going to pay. Make sure that they are well studied and adapted to the needs of your home and that they will provide you with quality maintenance service and technical support. As we have mentioned previously, if you want to avoid problems or solve a theft efficiently, you need to work with a serious company. Once you have your alarm installed, share your data with as few people as possible. At Gruber, we put at your disposal the study of the project, installation of the different security elements and the maintenance of all the security elements.
4. Bulletproof glass and security shutters
Bulletproof glass is the highest expression of security (proven for homes, businesses and companies), its triple system makes it practically unbreakable. On the other hand, security blinds allow us to protect and limit the intrusion of thieves into the premises. The best way to act if we want to protect a window that is very exposed to the outside is to combine these two security mechanisms.
5. Do not have technological toys in sight
Nowadays, in practically every home, we have tablets, cell phones, cameras… Their value can be substantial and they are objects that thieves look for inside homes. Our recommendation is that all these objects are correctly stored, since if we leave them at the entrance of homes, it may arouse temptations when it comes to carrying out said theft. A measure that could help you recover them in case of theft is to take an inventory of all the technology you have. Includes photos, makes, models and their serial numbers.
6. Safeguard valuables
What valuable items do you have at home? If you really value your jewelry, documentation and other valuables, forget about the old dresser drawer trick, it’s the first thing thieves search. The best thing you can do to prevent theft is to get a safe. These safes should not be small in size or weight, since to make a correct assessment of what we are going to deposit inside we must calculate 30% more interior capacity. Weight is another point to take into account, a safe must weigh at least 80 kg, in addition to being properly anchored to a concrete base or a security base. If we do not want to install a safe with anchoring we will have to limit ourselves to safes weighing about 200 Kg.
7. Trusted people?
Obviously if you are at home, the last thing you think about is that your house could be broken into. Well, nowadays there are so many things that are not normal.Thieves were no longer just looking for someone to be careless. During 2015, the target of some organized gangs has been elderly people who live alone. To avoid serious scares, and guarantee the safety of other neighbors, always use the intercom and peephole. Do not let anyone you do not know enter the building.
8. Have I closed the door?
Before leaving home, just as you make sure you have turned off the gas, check that you have closed all the doors and windows. If you are one of the absent-minded peopledo it out loud or make a list. This way you won’t doubt whether you have activated the alarm or not.
9. Social networks
We must be careful with social networks, since any information we provide about our homes can be carefully studied by thieves, providing unnecessary and intimate information. Another aspect to take into account is the information that we can provide about a trip, for example uploading photos from a ski resort, other countries…
Do you want to avoid theft? Do not advertise your vacation with great fanfare, surely you can wait until you return to tell about the trip and show the photos. However, if you are going to be away for a few days, it would be great if you, in small committee, notify your family or closest friends so that they can be alert if they see something strange near home.
10. Entrust a copy of your keys
We should never leave a set of keys under the doormat, in the mailbox or in a flower pot on the landing, it only works in the movies. So, before you go on a trip, leave a copy with someone you trust, but never ever leave it at home. If we have copies of keys to other homes, we will have to deposit them in the safe!
11. Do you remember who was the last friend who told you“I owe you one”?
That will be your great ally during your absence. Leave him some beers in the fridge and he will be happy to stop by your house to see that everything is still in order. If you also water the plants, empty the mailbox and change the position of the blinds, you have a treasure of a friend.
12. Are you alone at home?
Another protection system is to give the feeling that we have the home occupied. Look for plugs with a timer and solar lamps. You can leave them programmed so that they go off at the end of the day and the house does not seem unoccupied. If not, your soul friend has another extra task…
13. In case of theft
If, despite following all our recommendations, you have not been able to prevent burglaries at home and when you return from vacation you find a door or window open, do not enter, call the police and do not touch anything. Every detail can count to resolve your case.
14. Home, business and business insurance
Home insurance is essential to provide us with security and peace of mind. Our advice is to try to make tailor-made insurance, focusing on what we are really interested in insuring and not the typical insurance packages that they try to sell us at all costs.
