Rotherham locksmith reminders

Help & advice for your home security

Don’t you find it strange that there are loads of Christmas pop songs – I’m looking at you, Slade, Wizzard, Mariah etc – but not any Easter songs? Not that I can think of off the top of my head anyway. Maybe I’m mistaken, and the Blue song, All Rise, was about the resurrection of Jesus, and not about…well, whatever it was actually about. Or perhaps the Chas and Dave song, Rabbit, was not a slightly outdated tune about a girlfriend who won’t stop jabbering away, but was rather about the Easter Bunny. But both of those theories remain unlikely at best.

So whilst the approach to Christmas is marked by a month where every time you go shopping or turn on the radio, your ears are assaulted by Noddy Holder and company, we don’t really get that for Easter. Instead we get Lent – the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day. And what joys await us in this month? Well, not many really, as it’s a period synonymous with giving things up, whether it’s alcohol, cigarettes, takeaway meals, or chocolate. No wonder we’re all so miserable this time of year.

At this point you’re probably wishing I’d given up writing these blogs for Lent, and I do have quite some sympathy for that point of view. But instead, I’m going to take the two topics of Lent and home security, mix them together in a bowl, put them in the oven, and then serve up a cake containing useful tips around what we could give up for Lent that would also help our home security. And hopefully it’s the end of that tortured metaphor.

Never leave your door unlocked

No matter how sophisticated your door locks and other security devices are, it’s all for nothing if you don’t use them. So the first thing I’m asking you to consider giving up is leaving your door unlocked. Simple as that. Burglaries happen quicker than you might think, so if you’ve just popped next door, or are even in the house but have gone upstairs to the bathroom or out into the back garden, that’s more than enough time for someone to try the door, gain entry, and steal whatever is close to hand, all whilst remaining unnoticed. The stolen items may often include a set of keys if you leave them in your hall, so they might get your car too, adding extra stress. For this reason, and also for reasons of your own personal safety, I would always recommend keeping your front door locked.

Yes, keep a key to hand in case you need to quickly escape in case of a fire, but please do give up making it easy for burglars. And making it easy is exactly what you’re doing when leaving your main entry point unlocked.

Stop posting holiday snaps on social media

I’ve noticed some people give up social media for Lent, whether this be Twitter, Facebook, or any of the new ones, half of which I probably haven’t heard of. Now whilst this is laudable (especially since Elon took over Twitter), I appreciate for many people this is their primary mode of communication, so giving it up altogether would be a big ask. However, what people should definitely give up for Lent and beyond is posting statuses that advertise they are away from home for a period of time. Sharing photos from an airport, a holiday resort, or a beach may seem harmless, but it is a green light for any burglars trawling across Facebook or twitter to find out which houses in the locality are empty.

Burglars love an empty house as they can take their time and know there is little risk of being disturbed. So please either tweak your security settings so that only close family and friends can see your statuses, or preferably leave the photos and videos until you’re back in the house.

Ensure you have a working security light

It seems appropriately religious to also suggest we give up the dark for Lent, and let light stream into our lives. Rather than any sort of spiritual breakthrough, here I’m talking about ensuring that we have a working security light installed. Don’t give burglars the advantage of being able to carry out their deeds in the dark. A bright, motion activated light at the front or back of your house will soon give them second thoughts.

Don’t be complacent with  your home security

Another thing to give up is being lulled into a false sense of security. Maybe you’ve never been the subject of a burglary, never claimed on home insurance, and never had anything stolen from your garden. There’s a danger that complacency will set it and you’ll think it’ll never happen to you. So you start not paying attention to simple things – you stop locking away tools in sheds, you don’t bother renewing your insurance, you leave your car keys in sight through a window.

Sadly, every victim of a burglary had their “first” experience at some stage – it doesn’t stand to reason that if you’ve never been burgled this will continue. So always be wary, and take precautions. Update your insurance, lock away tools, and put those keys out of sight.

So there are four ideas of things to give up for lent. The hope is that you won’t then revert to old ways after Easter, but rather that these changes are permanent. And just in case you’re a burglar reading this for tips, why don’t you try and give something up for Lent too, namely burgling people. I can’t imagine reading this blog will be your Road to Damascus moment, but hey, it’s worth a go. Maybe do something else instead – a nice crossword or Sudoku, or go for a run. Anything that doesn’t involve breaking into buildings.

A Happy Easter to you all.