According to the police, people who go away on holiday don't tend to take adequate precautions ahead of leaving. For instance, people are not very vigilant with their windows - a common entry point for burglars.
Ensuring that your windows are closed and secured is an important first step in securing your home, ideally complemented by an alarm system.
Our Luxembourgish colleagues at RTL.lu tagged along with police on a burglary investigation in Bertrange to learn more about how to secure your home.The police officers confirmed that securing your windows is the first step to better protecting your home. They also echoed the value of investing in a home security system.
There is also a further option to explore: cameras with motion sensors. Whilst these are still quite rare, and you may struggle to find a company to help you install them, anybody with a bit of technical savvy could install such a camera themselves.
The officers also stressed that home security does not simply involve protecting your house, but also bearing in mind what you have laying around in your garden. Any suggestion of an affluent household could make you a target for thieves.
The police's preventative work has meant that break-in statistics remained stable in 2018. Compared to 2014, the number of burglaries has fallen.
As for burglar symbols and codes that entered public discourse several years ago, the officers confirmed that these have fallen out of use as residents became aware of them.
For instance, burglars would scribble a symbol onto a wall or postbox to let other thieves know whether a given house was a good target or, for example, had a dog.
To summarise, the police are highlighting several key issues in their current campaign;
A good neighbourhood is itself a deterrent against burglars.
A window left ajar is essentially an open window to thieves, which is why you should close your windows when leaving the house.
Having good lighting around your entrances will also deter burglars, as will home security systems.
Anyone who keeps the above in mind should be less likely to experience a burglary.
