Former burglar shares all mistakes that make you a target
It's the time of year where nearly everyone is heading on holiday and the one thing that's sure to ruin your summer is coming home to a ransacked house.
Sadly, that is sometimes a reality for people who leave their houses unattended for a few weeks, as it's not just the burglars from Home Alone who will monitor when a house is likely to be empty for an extended period.
Even if you do happen to be at home, you could still be targeted by a burglar, which is likely to make your home feel unsafe, while in some cases the burglars might be more interested in you than whatever luxury items you own.
Fortunately, police have recruited reformed criminals in recent years as a way of learning exactly what was going through the burglars brains when they decided to target one house over another.
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One of the best in the business was Michael Fraser, who now works as a top security expert while advising police and providing tips on how to keep your home safe from burglars even when you are not at home.
Fraser told the Liverpool Echo that social media is often a burglar's dream when it comes to deciding which house to rob, since people will regularly update their followers on their holiday plans without any thought of who might see it.
Ex-offenders have openly admitted to using public posts to plan their break-ins, with criminals likely to be checking out your social media account if they know where you live, which is why having a protected account might be the best bit of advice.
Michael said: “As for social media, I call that internet shopping… People foolishly put way too much information up on their social sites, and this makes things so simple for a burglar.
“Update your social media privacy settings. People are surprised when they discover their holiday photos are visible to everyone, not just their friends.”
It's not just your Instagram posts which are likely to make you a target however, as burglars are also likely to scout out your home before deciding to pay an illegal visit.
Even an old fashioned calendar with your plans on it might cause you issues if it's near a window, while having things such as keys and handbags visible in the hallway are also likely to make you a target.
Michael also urges people to keep their tools locked away in a shed if they have one, while also ensuring that you have more than just a basic lock to stop people from breaking in.
He suggests that the outside of your house should be well lit without anything that a burglar could easily hide away in, or use to climb into an open window, such as a high hedge or a wheelie bin.
While obvious security cameras might be tampered with, hidden ones might not be noticed by your everyday burglar, so it might be worth getting one of those as well.
So the next time you think about uploading a snap of your house or your holiday, it might be worth questioning who exactly might be looking at it and what information they could learn from it.
James Moorhouse