Security solutions

National Home Security Month (NHSM), taking place this month (October 2018) aims to raise awareness around the importance of home security. With the demands of daily life often taking over, home security is easily overlooked but to safeguard your home, family and belongings it’s increasingly important to seriously consider home security, says Tom Swallow, sales and marketing director at Quickslide.

During the darker months, there’s a recorded 20% increase in home burglaries with a staggering 30% of all burglars gaining access through an open or unlocked window or door. Of course, this is easily remedied by introducing a basic home security routine of locking all windows and doors whenever you leave the house and especially at night. But with domestic burglary on the rise by more than 30%, it’s vital to introduce additional security measures.

Throughout October, NHSM will cover crucial security topics each week including home security measures – predominantly focusing on window and door locks as well as how to safeguard valuables inside your home.

Official supporters of NHSM 2018, Quickslide has shared its top five home security tips, which are easy to implement and should be considered alongside NHSM’s weekly focuses throughout October.

• Change all locks and tumblers when you move into a new home or if you lose a set of keys.
• Don’t leave spare keys in obvious places such as under a doormat or plant-pot – this will be the first place that an intruder will look. (Wrap your spare key in foil and bury it in an easy to locate place.)
• If your door hinges are located on the exterior of your home, reset the hinges to the inside – this will make forced entry much more difficult.
• Avoid spring-latch locks – these are easy targets for ‘loiding’ experts who are skilled in pushing a plastic card against the lock’s latch to unlock doors. (Quickslide’s composite doors are fitted with 3-Star diamond Ultion locking cylinders as standard, which prevents common burglar entry methods including snapping, bumping and drilling.)
• Before giving a spare house key to workmen or a professional cleaner, check their credentials. For added security, invest in patented keys which can only be copied with proof of ownership.

By implementing these simple, security measures in addition to NHSM’s key recommendations, homeowners can vastly improve the security of their homes and reduce the likelihood of a break-in.