The end-year holidays are one of the most exciting times of the year, but that excitement can quickly turn to disappointment if you’re unprepared for the security risks that come along with it. The fact is, property break-ins tend to spike around Christmas since most people are out shopping, attending family gatherings, or traveling. For these reasons, burglars and thieves come out in droves looking to take advantage of the fact that everyone else is having too much fun to pay attention to their homes or businesses.
Taking extra security precautions to protect yourself, your family, and your belongings this holiday season is a major step in protecting your property from theft. So whether you’re hosting an extravagant Christmas dinner or just taking your kids to see Santa Claus, there are some things you can do this holiday season to protect your home or business from intruders and thieves.
Here are five ways you can improve your home or business security this holiday season, so you don’t have to worry about intruders or other unwanted visitors ruining your special occasions:
Don’t Advertise Your Absence
It’s the time of year, and you’re ready to set your traveling plans in motion. Whether it is for a vacation, visiting family and friends, or taking a trip to someplace new, there are some important security measures you can take before you leave. It’s normal to lock your doors and windows, turn off any holiday lights, and ensure the curtains are drawn before leaving but constantly updating people on social media is a bad idea.
If you make your absence too obvious with constant updates, your home or business might end up being the next easy target for burglars. To avoid advertising your absence, don’t use location tagging as it will tell others how far away from home you are and try to wait until your trip is over to post about it.
Remember Outdoor Security
The safety of your valuables in the house largely depends on the type of outdoor security system you have installed. Research indicates that about 75% of homeowners don’t have a security system in place, which leaves them at the mercy of intruders and burglars.
Investing in outdoor security systems, such as perimeter security systems, security cameras, motion and security lights, and access control systems, can provide ample security features for your home or business during the holiday season. These devices are relatively inexpensive and can save you from costly losses due to theft or other criminal activity.
Be sure to install motion sensor lights so that criminals won’t be able to sneak around in the dark unnoticed, or install a timer for your porch lights to turn off automatically at a certain time each night. You should also invest in high-quality smart locks and trim trees and shrubs to get rid of potential hiding spots.
Keep Valuables Away From Windows
Keeping small-sized valuables such as smartphones, car keys, cash, and jewelry out of view and away from windows or out of view is a good idea. Keeping the blinds shut whenever you’re away will reduce the chances of burglars window shopping for valuables visible from windows or having ease-of-access into your home or business. The best thing to do for expensive valuables such as jewelry, smartphones, laptops, or even cash would be to lock them away in a safe place before leaving.
Keep Your Package Deliveries Boxes Safe
It’s Christmas, and as always, you have numerous gifts that you got for your family and friends shipped to your house, and it’s exciting. While you may innocently want to keep the empty gift boxes around, this is actually a bad idea since the thieves will definitely find out what valuables you got for Christmas.
Practicing more discreet methods to trash these boxes, such as cutting up the gift boxes and putting them in black garbage bags before taking them out for collection, can solve this issue.
Have Someone Check Up on the House
If you know that you’ll be away from home for an extended period, consider having a friend stop by your house and turn off lights, open and close blinds, clear your driveway, and mow your lawn. You can also ask friends and family members who live nearby if they could visit your home while you’re gone. This will help keep off intruders since their presence will have them thinking there’s people around.
Invest In Security Cameras With Herring Technology
Having practical home and business security measures in place will ensure that your property does not get to be another statistic of holiday break-ins. That’s why investing in security systems will always be a smart option for businesses and homeowners that intend to keep their valuables safe.
At Herring Technology, we offer a variety of modern security systems, including security camera systems, access control systems, perimeter security systems, and analytics AI, all necessary to keep your home safe from intruders and burglars. In addition, with our customer-centric security consulting and system design services, we ensure you get something that fits your security needs at a competitive price.
For smartphone-compatible security cameras and other systems, contact us today for more information on how to heighten your home or business security this holiday season!
