Locksmith in Rotherham security advice

Are we all excited about the upcoming EU Referendum?

Well, having just sat through Farage and Cameron being questioned by an ITV audience, my enthusiasm has almost reached fever pitch. Okay, maybe I dozed through a bit of it and then went and made a cup of tea, but I’m sure it was thrilling. Truly thrilling. I’m not sure how I’m going to cope if it gets to 23rd June with the vote still in the balance, I may have to have a serious lie down.

Okay, I might not be all *that* excited about things but it’s an important decision and I’d encourage everyone who can to go out and vote. I won’t tell you how to vote of course, nor give away how I’m going to vote – I want to keep both the Brexiters and Bremainers on side after all whatever the result. However, the whole thing seems a decent opportunity to put together a blog with a tenuous link to the referendum, and who am I to turn down such a chance?

We’re used to hearing arguments from both sides in the Yes/No debate, and here I’ll transfer this seamlessly (yeah, right), into my favourite topic of home security. The Yes/No choice in question here is the one faced by a potential house breaker on deciding whether your home will be their next target or not.  We’ll put ourselves in the shoes of a burglar and consider the thought processes they go through, before deciding whether to proceed with a break in, or rather move on to an easier target down the street.

We’ll call this The Burglar’s Referendum. Let’s look at the arguments on either side of the debate:

Brexin – arguments for break in:

• No burglar alarm box on display, or one that’s distinctly run down.
• Old style, easily “snappable” locks on exterior doors
• Social media posts indicating owners are on holiday
• Open upstairs windows and ladders left out in garden
• Tools/outdoor toys or bicycles left on display
• High, solid fences at front of house, easily scaled, giving cover from watching neighbours
• No visible outside lighting giving cover of darkness
• Valuables on display through windows – including purses, wallets, car keys etc.

Conversely the arguments for moving on would be as follows:

Burglar’s Brexit – arguments for making a swift exit:

• Maintained house alarm on display
• Anti-Snap locks preventing quick  access
• Secured windows
• no equipment left out in garden
• Signs of life in house
• Motion-activated security lights outside house
• Metal gates, or wooden gates of under a metre at front of house  – these will impede access, but  (unlike solid high wooden gates) will crucially NOT give burglars space to hide from neighbours.
• Gravel drives, giving away the presence of anyone approaching.
• High fences or hedges made from spiky plants at rear of property restricting access

Well, I’m no David Dimbleby and we haven’t opened it up to questions from the audience, but at least this debate hasn’t been as long as the eight years or so we’ve had in the Euro debate. And hopefully it’s helped to give you a tip or two on how to make sure your house is on the right side of the Burglar’s Referendum.