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Christmas Holiday Burglaries Expected to Rise

The Christmas season really can be the “most wonderful time of the year,” but can also be very costly due to home and business burglaries. Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have already reported numbers to insure a higher than expected number of break-ins and burglaries in homes and business this year. They have also increased during the daylight hours. In fact, 85 percent of home robberies are taking place during daylight. If you think it won't happen to you, think again. You won't believe how quickly a thief can get into your home, rip you off and get out. Robbers want as much as they can as fast as they can. Within the first 30 seconds, he has a backpack, a bag full of silver and antiques. Burglars are most often after cash and jewelry, including laptops, game systems, car air bags and even your prescription painkillers.

The following are some suggestions that you can take this holiday season to protect your home and family while you're away:

• Stop mail deliveries during the time you are gone during the holidays or vacation.
• Have neighbors check for packages or flyers that might be delivered on your doorstep by a company other than the postal service. If there are packages, have them take the packages to their house. Have your neighbors keep a watch on your house and if they see anything suspicious, tell them to call 911. Also ask your neighbor park their car in you driveway at different times during the day and night to make it look like someone is coming and going.
• Have lights that come on and go off at the times when you would normally have them come on and go off. It is also a good idea to leave the lights on all the time but if they are on a timer, it will seem to the intruder that someone is in the house turning the lights on and off.
• Have motion lights on the outside of the house or install a motion sensor to deter theives.
• Leave the stereo/TV on. Although this is not a guaranteed deterrent, it can serve as a "bluff" to young, inexperienced prowlers. Even though they have "checked" to see if anyone is home (e.g. knock on the door), the unexpected noise, especially from the back or upstairs (any place they can't look into), indicates that they made a mistake on their primary recon. Maybe someone is home and just didn't hear the doorbell.
• Keep blinds and curtains closed if they’re usually open. If you do leave your blinds open, remove any valuables that may be in plain sight.
• Put possessions like heirlooms and jewelry in a safe deposit box or take these items with you.
• Trim back shrubs — or anything criminals can climb on — to make it as difficult as possible for burglars to get in your home.
• Make sure that doors and windows are always locked. Install deadbeat locks if you do not have them.
• Do not hide keys outside your home in places someone would think to look to access your home.
• Install burglary alarms. If you can not afford a burglary alarm, get some signs to put in your yard and/or some stickers to put on all windows and doors informing the intruder that there is an alarm system.
• Keeping in touch with your neighbors is sometimes the best way to stay safe during the holidays. You may want to form a neighborhood watch so you can warn one another about suspicious activity. Make sure the neighborhood is clean to broadcast the message that your community is alert and caring. Report burned-out streetlights promptly.

The best and most reliabe way to protect yourself from home invasion this holiday or any other times you might be on vacation or sleeping is to install a simple DIY wireless home alarm system. There are many brands out there but the GE Simon, Adamco, or Powermax brands are the easiest to install and operate. Plus, many of these do not require monthly monitoring but rather you can monitor the security system yourself.

Stay safe this holiday season and protect your valuables from falling into a robber's hands.