New Year’s Resolutions: Time to be more security conscious

The start of a new year is the perfect time to turn a new page, which is why now’s a great time to consider being more home security conscious. Why? The winter months are the worst times of year for burglary¹, with the darker nights creating ideal conditions for opportunistic thieves. Burglars don’t want all eyes on them when trying to break into your property, they like to lurk in the darkness.

Here are some of our top tips on how to be more security conscious this year:

One of the best things you can do to increase your home security is to install a home alarm system. Not only does this act as a visual deterrent to potential thieves, with the Yale Sync Smart Home Alarm you are also able to monitor the status of your home and in the event of a break-in, you will be alerted, and the 104dB external siren and 94dB internal Sync Hub will sound. Once intruders hear an alarm sound, they typically try to leave the premises immediately to avoid drawing attention to themselves or being caught.

Installing outdoor lighting or even better, a Floodlight Camera, is a great way to eliminate any potential outdoor hiding spots. By lighting up key access points, such as any front or rear entrances, you will be alerted to any motion and help to put off any opportunistics. A two-in-one deterrent, like the Yale Floodlight Camera, startles and records all in one go. This should not only discourage any potential thieves but in the unfortunate event that your property is broken into, you will have it all on camera – which can be used later as evidence. Along with a built-in 110dB siren, the Yale Floodlight Camera is the go to choice for keeping your home protected and any unwanted visitors at bay.

Instead of hiding your spare house key under your doormat or flowerpot, why not consider investing in a Yale Smart Door Lock and eliminate the need for keys altogether? Dependent on what type of lock you opt for, you can have the freedom and flexibility to unlock your door directly with your smartphone when using the compatible app, share virtual keys with loved ones if/when needed and receive real-time notifications in the event that your door is unlocked unexpectedly.

An alternative option is leaving your spare key with a family member of trusted neighbour. If you’d rather quick and easy access, then maybe the Yale Combination Key Access box is what you’re looking for?

No matter how someone might go about attacking your front door, they are going to interact with your lock. One of the most effective and affordable ways of easily upgrading door locks is by opting for a high security cylinder. By installing a Yale Platinum 3-star Cylinder lock, this ensures that your door can offer superior protection against a variety of techniques. This high performing cylinder has been specially designed to offer protection from Anti-Bump, Anti-Pull, Anti-Pick and Anti-Drill burglary attack methods. Even if someone were to try and access your property via the ‘blowtorch burglary’ method, the opportunistic thief would not be able to gain access to your home through breaking the lock.

Is your door hardware looking a little sad and sorry for itself? This could be down to Mortice bar or Spindle issues, overtight fixings, dirt or debris in the mechanism or simply, worn springs. If your doorhandles are drooping, it might be time to replace them.

With data from the Office for National Statistics citing nearly 268,000 burglaries from April 2020 to April 2021, improving your home security this new year has never been more important. To browse our range of home security solutions, visit our website.

^{¹Churchill Home Insurance, 2021}