Protect Your Home

Introduction

Our homes are important for us to relax and escape from the outside world, but they are also where you and your family can be vulnerable. This is due to a range of factors that include: having a relaxed mindset, the predictability of your routines, the security of the dwelling and the security mindset of those close to you.

The security of your home environment is dependent on:

• The behaviour of you and your family.
• The physical security measures in place at your home.
• The security of the environment outside of your property.
• The cyber security devices inside your property.

When reviewing your security, you should ask yourself whether your measures:

• Make it difficult for others to gather information about you/your family.
• Improve your situational awareness and alert you to activity that is suspicious.
• Physically protect you/your family – putting protective measures between you and those seeking to cause you harm.
• Reduce your cyber vulnerability.
• Assist you in responding to an incident - e.g. calling the police, administering first aid or tackling a small fire.
• Capture information that will assist with taking criminal or legal action against those seeking to cause you harm.

If the answer is that there are shortfalls in your security arrangements, the following information can help you secure your home.

Your Behaviour and Routine

You and your family must take responsibility for each other's safety and security. Introducing simple routines into your home life will improve your security and increase the opportunity to spot unusual or suspicious behaviour. For example:

• Establishing a routine for making sure your home is secure when you are in the house during the day, going to bed or leaving your home.
• Checking for signs of a break-in before entering the property and looking out for suspicious behaviour as you come and go from your home.
• Being aware of your surroundings and recognising situations where you may be more vulnerable.

The earlier you can spot the signs of a potential threat arising, the more choices you have to act to avoid risk. For more details, see Be Alert - Personal Situational Awareness

Physical Security Measures in Place at Your Home

General crime prevention advice will go a long way to secure your home and it is important to get the basics right.  As you consider the physical security of your home you should:

1. Understand the security that is already in place and check it is operating effectively.
2. Identify if and how the existing security measures need to be improved.
3. Decide if any additional measures are required.

Physical security can be broken down into the following components and each should be considered in turn.

The security of the environment around the outside of your home.

You can improve the security provided to you in the area immediately outside the perimeter of your home by taking some simple measures. Consider the following:

• The outer perimeter of your home –  Consider how your property’s boundary is defined and what you can do to control it. Do you have fences, walls and gates? Are they in a good state and how much security do they provide?
• Internal and external lighting – Lighting outside will help protect you as you come and go from your home and help you spot suspicious behaviour. Internal lighting set up with timers can help you create an impression there are people at home by switching on and off at random times.
• Street lighting and vegetation – Contact the local authority or other landowners to make sure that street lighting is working and the bushes are cut back to remove hiding places.
• Talk to your neighbours – Decide if you should speak to your neighbours to ask them to report ANY suspicious activity.
• Neighbourhood Watch – Is your home included in a Neighbourhood Watch or could you start one? Increasing your neighbours’ understanding of when to report suspicious behaviour will help you. For more information visit Neighbourhood Watch.
• Communal entry areas and entry points – Contact your landlord or residents' associations to make sure communal doors are working and that other residents don’t unwittingly provide access to attackers.

The security of the environment inside your home.

• Garages, outbuildings and sheds - These areas may provide weak points to gain entry to your home, hiding places or provide tools to gain entry to your home. Check the security and look for signs of forced entry.

• Safer areas – Is there a location within your home that you can use as a safer area to shelter and seek help if your home is attacked? For more information see The Preparation and Use of Safer Areas to Protect High-Risk Individuals Guidance.

• Doors/windows, patio doors and internal walls – Consider the level of security provided by your doors, windows, patio doors and internal walls (around safer areas) and what steps you can take to improve their security. It should be assumed, unless established otherwise, that most standard doors, windows and internal walls fitted in your home are vulnerable to forced entry attacks. For more information, see the guidance detailed below.

Prepare for an Emergency

By planning what you will do in an emergency, you will be better prepared to protect your home and keep your loved ones safe. It is important to carefully consider how you will alert the police and get away from danger by escaping, locking down, and/or creating a safe place to hide. For more information, see guidance to help you Prepare for an Emergency.

The following video has been created to aid discussion around the measures you can take to delay and deter attackers at your home, monitor the situation and contact the police.

Your Home from a Victim's Perspective

Guidance