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How to help secure your home and protect your family
Home
security involves more than fitting an alarm, deadlocks or keyed window locks.
Another important element is using them - every time you leave your home, even
when only for a short time.
Develop
the habit of always locking your doors and windows, and if you have an alarm,
switching it on. Items such as push bikes, power tools and gardening tools
should always be securely locked away in the garden shed or garage.
Unfortunately, security systems are often not activated. Lock up and activate
your alarm system every time you leave your home and help reduce the risk of
home burglary. Below are some comprehensive tips to assist you in
protecting your home and family. We hope you find them useful.
While at Home
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Install a peephole in your front door and
always check the identification of strangers before you let them into your
home.
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Keep
your front door and windows locked when you are gardening or working in the
back area of your home. Many burglaries occur while people are relaxing in
their backyard and have left their front door open or unlocked.
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Don't leave keys on the
kitchen table or any other obvious place. Intruders entering by the back door
can take your keys and steal your car or return to the house while you're away.
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You should never try to
apprehend a burglar if you confront one in your home. Always contact your
local police for assistance.
Simple things you can do
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Never leave spare keys
outside your home. Burglars know all the usual hiding places, especially under
pot plants or mats.
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Burglars like to
conceal their activities so keep trees and shrubs trimmed, especially trees
close to your house that could be climbed to gain access.
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Secure garage doors
with deadlocks, strong padbolts or padlocks.
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Secure tilt-a-doors and
roller doors with lockable padbolts or deadlocks
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Always lock away tools,
ladders and gardening equipment. These items can be used by burglars to gain
easy access to your home
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Keep a record of the
serial and model numbers of your goods.
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Engrave electrical
equipment and other valuables with your driver's licence number and the State
initials. Alternatives to engraving are database registered adhesive labels or
electronic tagging. Photograph your valuables, especially jewellery and works
of art. Although these measures won't prevent the goods from being stolen, it
will help in identifying the goods if they are recovered
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Moving into a new home?
It's a good practice to replace the locks on all entry doors
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If possible, try to
avoid a regular pattern of coming and going from your home. By varying your
routine you will make potential burglars unsure of the time that you may come
home
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Owning a pet dog may
deter would-be burglars from targeting your home. However, be aware you may be
liable if a person is injured by your dog
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Don't keep large
amounts of money in your home and ensure that all jewellery is well hidden, or
preferably kept in a safe
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Don't leave notes on
the door stating that you are away or when you'll return
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Never record personal
details such as your name, address and phone number on your key ring
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Program the phone
number of your local police into your touch-phone
Neighbours - an
important role
Get to
know your neighbours, stay in touch with them and, together, keep an eye out for
anything that looks suspicious. Be a good neighbour yourself. Report to your
local police any unusual noises or activities such as breaking glass or
strangers loitering or behaving suspiciously. Your prompt action may prevent a
burglary. This simple neighbourly spirit can increase the security of your
community and reduce the chance of you or other local residents becoming a
casualty of theft.
Going on holidays
Would-be
burglars will notice if you are not home, so, if you are going away, advise a
trusted neighbour and ask them to keep an eye on your home and garden while you
are away.
Ask your
neighbour to collect your mail or ask the post office to hold it. Stop regular
deliveries of milk and newspapers. Use timers on lights and radios to give your
home a "lived in" appearance. Arrange for your lawn and garden to be kept
trimmed and tidy and leave a key with a trusted friend or neighbour. Also advise
your local police if you are going away for an extended period. Never leave a
message on your answering machine to say you are on holidays.
Intruder alarms
Insurance
assessors report that the risk of burglary increases for houses that have been
burgled once but that very few homes with alarms that are turned on experience
large losses in burglaries. They believe it is uncommon for homes where alarms
are visible from the street to be burgled a second time. A burglar will
generally choose another home with an obviously lower level of security.
In NSW,
regulations require that the alarm system must be installed by a licensed
security installer. It is preferable to use reputable security companies that
are members of well known industry associations.
Similarly, it makes sense to consider the credentials of a security company when
buying a security system. When making comparisons you should consider the
quality of the system, the coverage provided, the ability of the company to
provide service following the purchase, and cost. You should not decide on cost
alone.
Alarm requirements
Home
alarms vary greatly in cost and specifications. A system with the following
characteristics should provide you with comprehensive and reliable security and
may mean that you are entitled to a discount on your Home Contents Insurance.
Recommended requirements for an intruder alarm system for insurance purposes
should include:
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have intruder detection
on or near the main entry points
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at least one internal
siren (two may be more beneficial, with one near the most likely entry point)
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have a strobe light and
an external siren (except home units) that meets the relevant noise control
regulations
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have a minimum of four
intruder detection devices, including at least two internal motion detectors
(home units must have at least three intruder detection devices, including at
least one motion detector)
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be connected to mains
electricity and have a rechargeable battery which will operate when the mains
electricity supply fails.
The following features
provide better security and safety but are not essential for an intruder alarm
to meet specifications for insurance discounting.
An alarm should:
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have back-to-base
24-hour monitoring. This service may cost around a dollar per day. Benefits of
monitoring are the alarm can notify the base station of break-ins and
situations like smoke detection, personal duress and medical alert. Strongly
recommended for home units due to the exclusion of the external siren
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be capable of being
isolated into compartments allowing free movement as well as protection, while
occupants are at home, eg. two storey house
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have a 24-hour
duress/panic warning input available
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have the provision for
24-hour smoke detection
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be maintained and have
a professional service at least once per year. The alarm's back-up battery
should be replaced regularly. Check with your security provider. Some
detectors also require maintenance.
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have a satellite type
external alarm, i.e. have its own back-up battery (excluding home units)
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have individual access
codes for all residents and employees, eg. gardeners, housekeepers. This
provides the monitoring station with the identity of who enters and leaves
your home.
Installation Advice:
Installation of the alarm system should generally comply with and meet the
intent of the requirements of the Australian Standard for Intruder Alarm Systems.
Motion detectors should be of high quality to reduce the
possibility of activating a false alarm. Garages should be included in the
alarm's surveillance region. We recommend dual detectors at a minimum.
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