Great security tips you should teach your children

I don’t know about you, but I believe that children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside… ah, sorry about that, segued into a bit of Whitney Houston there. But anyway, kids, hey? They’re like adults but smaller and haven’t lived as long yet. Okay, I’m a locksmith, not an anthropologist, but I reckon that’s pretty accurate.

Anyway, many of you reading this will have children (may God have mercy on your souls), and will naturally want to protect them from what seems like an increasingly strange world. And whilst you may not be able to shield them from the after-effects of the US election, political upheaval closer to home, or escaped lions from the Wildlife Park (I’m sure that won’t happen), you can certainly give them pointers on how to keep themselves and their belongings safe in terms of home security. It may seem a small thing, but teaching your children a few valuable lessons is far more likely to increase their chances of staying safe than any number of lion-avoiding classes. (seriously, I’m sure they have fences and everything to keep the lions inside)

1. Remind them to keep the front door locked

There’s nothing a burglar likes more than breaking into a house without having to do any actual breaking in. An unlocked door provides easy pickings. If your son or daughter has the house to themselves when they get in from school, remind them to ensure the door is locked. This will have the dual purpose of keeping them safe as well as the property. Make sure you’ve shown your children how the locks work; perhaps think about leaving a reminder near the door so that they don’t forget.

2. Be wary of strangers

We all learned this at school, and sadly it still stands – teach your children to be wary of any stranger at the door. It’s possible it could be the postman/woman or a sales representative, but it could also be someone who poses more danger. Make it a rule not to open the door to strangers and to just talk through the door if anything. However, an addition to this is they should never reveal they’re home alone.. a thief could well take advantage of this situation to persuade them to open the door. You obviously don’t want to scare your children, but do ensure they know that they should not open the door to anyone they don’t know.

3. Learn how to use the house alarm

Let’s face it, kids are good with technology, as any parent who’s tried to use iPlayer will quickly discover. Take advantage of this, and show them how the burglar alarm system works. If they can download the latest Anime cartoon from the other side of the world to their mobile phone, they can learn how to activate and deactivate a simple alarm system. Go through the functions of the alarm with your children, teaching them the code if there is one.  Make sure they understand the purpose of the alarm and give them practice in setting the system and disarming it. Soon they’ll feel comfortable doing it and can feel like they’re contributing to the family’s efforts to keep the property safe.

4. Know your phone number and address

Mobile phones are great, but they do seem to have stopped us remembering phone numbers. When I was a child I knew half a dozen phone numbers off pat because there was no way of storing them in the phone. However, those days have gone and what if your child gets into difficulty and they have lost their phone? They will need to know at least one important number, so try to get them to learn a few just in case – either yours or someone else trustworthy. It goes without saying that they should know the emergency services number too. Ensure they know the full address of your property, including postcode, just in case they need to pass this on to the emergency services.

5. Stay outside

We all want to keep our property secure but at the end of the day our personal safety is much more important. Teach your children that if they return home to an empty house and find a broken window or a door that’s been forced open, they should STAY OUTSIDE. Venturing inside risks them encountering an intruder which would make an already bad situation much worse. Run through what they should do if they come home to find this sort of situation, whether this be calling you, a responsible adult, or calling the police. Possessions can be replaced.. our loved ones can’t.

So there are a few tips it may well be worth going through with your children. It’s a fine balance between making them aware of dangers and scaring them so there’s no need to give them nightmares, but better safe than sorry and giving them a little awareness of the benefits of home security is certainly no bad thing.

I’m off now to continue singing a bit of Whitney Houston… perhaps something from The Bodyguard this time, and continuing a look out for those escaped lions.