A Liberty Insurance survey into home safety behaviour found that one in six people in Ireland, and one in three 17-24 year-olds, didn't lock their front door when they last left their homes. 17-24 year olds were found to be the least security conscious of all age groups.
Liberty Insurance are encouraging people to ‘Check, Lock and Leave’, particularly over the summer holiday season.
Some quick and helpful tips from Liberty Insurance to keep your home safer when on holidays;
- Make it look like someone is home with timer plugs
- Ask your neighbours to keep an eye on your home; to remove any post not pushed fully through the letterbox, and encourage them to invite visitors to park in your driveway from time to time
- Cancel milk or other deliveries if you will be away for days or weeks at a time
- Check that all exterior doors and windows are fitted with a secure locking mechanism
- Don’t leave valuables on view
- Install a visible alarm with panic buttons upstairs and downstairs
- Secure outside sheds with a padlock
- Don’t leave wheelie bins close to access points - wheelie bins can make a good ladder for burglars if left near side gates or open windows
- Consider installing security lighting - lights can be used in a variety of ways to deter burglars at night. Exterior lights will make it more difficult for burglars to stay undetected when they’re trying to break in.
Check out the startling results in this infographic:
