A burglary is something every homeowner and tenant wants to avoid! With the right security measures, you can significantly protect your home or apartment from intruders. Here are practical tips to make your home safer and reduce the risk of burglary.
1. Install security cameras
Place cameras in strategic locations around your house or apartment, such as at the front door, back door and garden access points. Modern security cameras are a powerful deterrent and guard your property. You must always officially report a camera whose purpose is to monitor places and identify crimes to the police. It should also be marked with a pictogram so that passersby know they may be filmed. Only when you install a camera inside, this is not required. A doorbell with a video camera should not be registered for clarity. How to report surveillance cameras can be found on the police website.
2. Protect your windows
A break-in often happens through doors or windows. Reinforce these weak spots with sturdy window locks and security glass. In addition, burglar-resistant window film also exists today. The film reinforces your window, making it very difficult for burglars to break it, thus delaying the break-in. Note: The window can still break, but the precious time lost discourages burglars and increases the chances of them being effectively caught.
Do you have a sliding window? Then insert a sturdy wooden stick into the opening at the bottom when it’s closed, making it impossible to slide the window open – even if the lock were forced.
Shutters also slow down a burglary. Nowadays you have models on the market that block when lifted. Here, special springs ensure that the roller shutter cannot easily (or even at all) be pulled out of the guide rail. With classic roller shutters, you still have the danger of them simply being lifted out. Although it still means more work for the burglar and thus more chance of being caught.
3. Strengthen your exterior doors
Sturdy is the feature a burglar-resistant exterior door should have. Both in material and lock, a sturdy door provides higher security. You have both steel doors and wooden doors (where then steel plates are incorporated inside). There are also burglar-resistant interior doors for apartment buildings.
Be sure to equip your exterior doors with solid locks and, if it is within your budget, invisible hinges. Further, consider using a multi-point lock. With this, the lock in your door then closes in multiple places, making it nearly impossible to force during a break-in.
4. Use timers for lights
Make your home look lived-in even when you’re not there. Set timer lights or timers in so they automatically turn on during evening hours, deterring potential burglars.
Going away for an evening or a week’s vacation? Then set your timers to automatically turn on the lights every night around sunset. They stay on for a few hours to give the impression that people are home.
Extra tip: Plug in a loud radio on a timer when you go out, that way it looks like someone is home.
5. Invest in a burglar alarm system
When a burglar attempts to break in, an alarm system immediately responds by activating a loud alarm. This loud sound not only serves to deter the intruder, but it also attracts the attention of neighbors and bystanders, who may be able to intervene or alert the authorities.
Connect your alarm system to a professional monitoring center. When the alarm system is activated, it automatically sends a signal to the monitoring center, which is staffed 24/7 with trained operators. These professionals respond quickly to emergencies by alerting the appropriate emergency services, such as the police or fire department, and contacting you if necessary.
An alarm system offers peace of mind, especially if you are away from home often or if you live in an area where break-ins are more common. But nhe same as a surveillance camera, you also need an alarm system report to the police!
6. Prune shrubs and trees in a timely manner
Large shrubs and trees provide ideal hiding places for intruders. Regularly prune your shrubs and trees to improve visibility around your home. This way, you make it harder for burglars to get close unnoticed.
Bright lights with motion sensors also increase the visibility of your home. Burglars go to work in the dark. Place lights with motion sensors strategically around your home. This way, you surprise unwanted guests as they approach, discouraging them from proceeding with the burglary.
Note: Store all large items next to your house in your garden shed or garage. Thieves stack garden furniture to get to the second floor. Or use sturdy trash containers.
7. Take advantage of smart home technology
Modern technology makes a lot possible in terms of security.
- Smart Locks. Lock and unlock these locks remotely via your smartphone. Give your guests (temporary) access codes to these locks, so you keep control over who has access to your home.
- Smart doorbells with cameras. See who’s at your door and communicate with visitors remotely. Receive real-time notifications on your smartphone when someone rings the doorbell or when motion is detected. Respond immediately, whether it’s an expected package delivery or identifying suspicious activity.
- Smart surveillance cameras with sensors for doors and windows, motion detectors and glass breakage sensors. Manage them via an app on your smartphone, allowing you to monitor and manage your entire home remotely.
Note: Unplug outlets you have outside or turn them off through your fuse. If a burglar pours a little water over the outlet, your home will be short-circuited. Which means your camera or lights will stop working (unless there are separate batteries in these)!
8. Be smart on social media
A week to Greece? Nice! An extended weekend in the Ardennes? Cozy! Let your friends know, but prefer not to post it on social media while you’re away. Burglars use this information to know when you’re not home. So be careful about making your vacation plans public.
So also wait to share vacation photos until you are back. This way, you minimize the risk of unauthorized people knowing about your absence and taking advantage of it.
9. Count on your neighbors and neighborhood watch
Join a BIN, a neighborhood information network. Citizens, local authorities and police work together to help each other improve the safety of their neighborhoods. As a citizen, you report suspicious things, such as vandalism or burglary, to the police and a coordinator. The police then send a patrol and/or report it to all BIN members.
Your neighbors do not have to become your best friends, but of course it is nice to have your immediate neighbors keep an eye on you when you are away. Ask your neighbors to empty your mailbox twice a week. After all, mail left lying around is a sign of an unoccupied place. Even if your lights turn on automatically at night with a timer, it puts people with bad intentions on notice of your absence.
Extra tip: Protect your neighbors, too. If you see anything, report it to the police at 101.
10. Call in the police
No good contact with your neighbors? Or need extra peace of mind when you’re traveling? Then you can apply to the police for free theft prevention. Local police will then regularly pass by your home during your trip and look out for suspicious items. Officers do not permanently guard your home in this process, but patrols are supposed to visit several times – both during the day and at night.Read how to apply for free theft prevention in our article Free theft prevention advice in Flanders . 
11. Keep valuables out of sight
Keep valuables, such as laptops, jewelry and electronics, out of sight of curious passersby. If necessary, use curtains or blinds to maintain your privacy. This will prevent people from knowing what is there to steal.
Think about where to store your valuables. The longer a thief has to search for jewelry or expensive electronics, the longer the burglary will take and the more likely he will be caught. Use a safe or unexpected hiding places (behind baseboards, under loose boards in the floor…) are a possibility.
12. Keep an inventory
Keep an inventory of your valuables, including photos and serial numbers. This can be invaluable when filing an insurance claim in case of theft after a break-in.
Remember to notify your insurance company of such valuable possessions so that they are adequately covered in your policy. Consider specific insurance options for valuable jewelry or electronics.
Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use:
Biets, R. (2024, Nov. 10). 12 effective tips against burglary of your house or apartment. Apartment.com. Consulted on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/12-tips-tegen-inbraak/
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