As summer progresses many people make the most of the extended warmth and visit the beach, go away and benefit from their garden. Opportunistic burlgars make the most of reduced home security in the summer where they see unkempt gardens, open doors and windows and signs of absence, after all, Bristol burglar alarms are not on all the time.

Don’t become part of the Bristol burglary statistics this summer, take precautions to protect your home and family whether you are travelling or having a staycation this year.

Make sure that your premises has a lived in look when you go away, beef up security in your garden and pay special attention to doors, windows and gates in order to prevent a burglary.

If you are at home at the back of the house or in the garden be careful to shut and lock windows and doors at the front. Gardeners can easily become victims of casual burglars as we are all less likely to use our burglar alarms when we are actually at home.

As Detective Chief Inspector Martyn Triggol has said:

“The steps you can take to protect your home are not expensive or time-consuming. They are easy to implement and effective in reducing the risk of becoming a victim of burglary. Look at your home from the street and think about how a burglar may break in – and then take the necessary steps to deny them this opportunity. Thieves will use whatever they can find to break in, or find things they can use to reach higher windows. The effort invested now may save a great deal of iinconvenience later on if you are unfortunate enough to become a burglary victim. Many stolen items will be irreplaceable, such as photographs stored on stolen cameras and phone numbers stored on stolen phones. Victims may also have to spend time cancelling stolen bank cards, passports and driving licences, replacing door locks and filling out insurance claim forms.”

The local police recommend the following:

When at home

• Always secure windows and doors when leaving the house and never leave windows and doors unattended even if you are at home.
• Downstairs and easily accessible upstairs windows benefit from locakable windows Keep window and door keys in a safe place (not in the doors and windows)
• Laminated glass is difficult to crack, so use it if you replace windows at home Don’t leave tools out that could be used to break into your home
• Tag your tools with your post code and house number or the first two letters of your house name
• Photograph valuable garden ornaments and household objects and keep these in a safe place

When on holiday

• Mow the lawns before leaving
• Cancel deliveries of milk, newspapers etc without making a song and dance about it in the shop Make your house look lived in.
• Fit automatic time switches to switch on lights and radios Mark any valuable items with your postcode or take photographs of all valuable items
• Could you leave jewellery and small items at the bank or in a safe? TVs, videos or stereo systems are frequently stolen: don’t leave them in full view
• Put all your tools away and lock the garage and shed with good quality security locks Keep your luggage address labels hidden from view
• Lock all outside doors and windows
• Set your Bristol area burglar alarm if you have one – and tell the police who the key holder is
• Register all your belongings on the national property database: www.immobilise.com

The Avon and Somerset Constabulary are always happy to give advice on crime prevention and you can call them on 0845 456 7000 for help.