I just read an article from SouthernLiving named “Foil Burglars When You’re on Vacation” that gives a few ideas on how to prevent crime while you’re away on holiday.
Here are a couple of my favourites:
Tip 2: Suspend newspaper and mail delivery, or have someone pick it up for you.
Tip 5: Don’t change your answering machine message to say, “I’m out of town.” Instead, say “I can’t get to the phone right now; I’m feeding the dog, Fang.”
Tip 6: Leave the curtains, blinds, and cars as you normally do when you’re home.
Tip 7: Leave a radio on; most break-ins occur during daylight hours.
These are really cool ideas for beating crime. I also like the way the site points out that criminals aren’t necessarily that smart. They say that all you have to do is:
Get them thinking things such as: “Is that person home?” “Did someone just turn on that light?” “Does the house have an alarm?” “Will the neighbors spot me?” “Will anything worth stealing be inside?” “Does Fang bite?”
My theory is, if you make your house harder to break into, or less of a sure thing, than somebody else’s house, then you’re doing ok.
Please leave your best tip or piece of advice on preventing burglaries or house crime in the comments…