Vacations can be enjoyable and can be a pleasant experience for you and your family. However, burglars see vacations as their opportunity to target unoccupied homes. Coming home to find your house burglarized is a homeowner’s nightmare.
According to the FBI, a home is burglarized every 15 seconds in the United States – resulting in an average loss of $2,200. If it takes more than five minutes to break into a home, the burglar will most likely go elsewhere. Criminals are opportunists and will always look for the path of least resistance when targeting your home.
Crime occurs where the opportunity exists. Remove the opportunity for the criminal to make YOU a victim by following these simple Crime Prevention Tips:
• Lock your windows and dead-bolt doors in your home. Most Insurance companies will apply discounts to your policy for installing these devices.
• Lock your garage door. Ask someone you trust to park their vehicle in your driveway occasionally.
• Invest in a burglar alarm and/or video surveillance. The most effective systems ring at an outside service, which alerts the police, fire department and other emergency services.
• Keep your home well lit. Set timers on your exterior and interior lights to mimic your schedule as if you were home.
• Make your home look inhabited. Leave blinds or curtains in their usual position.
• Arrange to have your trash cans placed on the curb and have them returned after garbage pickup has been made.
• If you are going to be away for an extended period of time, arrange to have your lawn trimmed.
• Arrange to have your mail, packages and newspaper picked up by a trusted neighbor or friend or have it held at the post office. Have your “throw-away” circulars picked up.
• Call your local police department and ask for a vacation check.
• Only tell people you know and trust that you are going away. Be careful not to discuss your vacation plans in public and on social media. You don’t want that information in the wrong hands. You can brag about your vacation when you get home.
Any additional questions can be directed to the Simi Valley Police Department’s Crime Analysis & Prevention Unit at (805) 583-6253.
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