In around 4% of burglaries, thieves use a false pretense to gain entry. Unfortunately, older people are particularly vulnerable to these ‘distraction burglars’, since they are often more trusting or easily confused.
The UK Home Office recommends a ‘Lock, Stop, Chain, Check’ method of preventing distraction burglary. Make sure your door is locked when you are in your house and don’t unlock it until you know who is on the other side. If someone comes to your door unexpectedly, stop and check that all your doors are locked.
Check who is calling by looking out of a window or through a spy hole in your door. If you decide to open the door, consider using a chain or bar so that you can keep the door semi-secured while talking. If you don’t know the person, ask to check their identity card. If you are not sure about their ID, phone the relevant organisation to confirm the caller’s identity.
Remember – if in doubt, keep them out. You should be especially careful if you are on your own. Genuine callers won’t normally mind you being cautious, and you can always ask them to come back when someone else is around.
If all this talk of burglary has you cowering in a corner, you’ll be pleased to know that burglary rates in England and Wales have actually been dropping in recent years. The risk of being a victim of domestic burglary has halved since 1995. This is partly due to people being more vigilant over home security. Be safe, be sensible… but don’t have nightmares.
If you need further information or advice, please get in touch with Glevum Security on 01452 729713, we’d be happy to help.