The holidays are often considered one of the happiest times of the year. Families gather to celebrate this festive season by giving gifts, sharing decadent meals, playing games, and spending quality time together. Unfortunately, that also opens opportunities for burglars, making holiday home security an important consideration.
Holiday Property Crimes
Robbery, as well as personal theft, increases by approximately 20% in December. This increase is attributed to several factors, such as desperation to give gifts to friends and family members; financial difficulties at the end of the year; and more people with expensive items during this holiday season—all of which can make the holiday season an opportune time for criminals.
That said, property crimes actually peak during the summer months rather than over the holidays, which may be explained by more young people being out of school, bored, and unsupervised, so they have greater opportunities to get into unfortunate mischief.
In addition, home invasions have remained relatively stable over the last six years with only minor fluctuations. In 2021, breaking and entering actually declined by 10% nationally, and property crime rates decreased by 1%.
Holiday Home Security
Even though crime rates don’t necessarily peak during the holidays, it’s important to enhance home security to protect your family and your new purchases. One of the best options is to invest in a home security system from a reputable security service like ADT (now Telus) to provide comprehensive protection. These systems can provide alarms, motion sensors, and 24/7 monitoring services to give you peace of mind so you can focus on what’s really important.
Other helpful holiday home security protections include:
- Smart locks, which offer keyless entry that can be controlled remotely
- Security cameras, which help deter criminals and monitor any suspicious activity
- Outdoor lighting, which also helps deter burglars: motion active lights are particularly effective
- Window and door sensors, which can alert you if a door or window is opened, even if you aren’t home
- Reinforced entry points with deadbolts or window locks
- Neighborhood watch programs, which enhance both your and your community’s security
- Securing valuables by locking them away in a safe or locked cabinet
- Social media awareness, such as avoiding post updates in real-time, which can alert potential burglars when the home will be empty, or showing off expensive purchases and valuables, which can attract unwanted attention
- Up-to-date insurance policies that protect against theft and damage and cover all of your valuables
In addition to adding holiday home security, other ways to help enhance the security of your home include:
- Discreetly disposing of packaging, especially for major or expensive purchases like electronics, appliances, and premium goods. Break down any boxes and dispose of them inside recycling bins to avoid advertising the valuable items now found in your home.
- Using timers on your lights to help your home look occupied even if you are traveling for the holidays. You can also have a radio or TV turn on to create the illusion that someone is home.
- Securing sliding doors with a security bar or piece of wood to prevent them from being opened from the outside.
- Limiting visibility into your home to make sure expensive items (like cash, jewelry, or electronics) are stored away from peaking eyes.
- Leaving signs of an empty home, such as stacked-up mail or newspapers, which can indicate your home is vacant. Ask a neighbor or friend to keep an eye on your home and to safely store your items until you return.
- Ignoring yard maintenance as a well-maintained yard indicates a home is occupied and cared for.
- Sharing information, such as travel plans, with strangers or even acquaintances you don’t know or trust that indicates your home will be unoccupied or that you’ll be home alone.
- Leaving spare keys outside in obvious places, such as under a doormat, over the door frame, or in a flowerpot, making it easy for thieves to help themselves.
- Neglecting Wi-Fi security, which can leave your smart home devices more vulnerable to hacking.
- Putting up decorations that give thieves hiding places to scope out and more easily enter your home. Avoid obstructing entry points such as doors and windows, and make sure lights don’t create shadows where someone can easily go unnoticed.
- And of course, arrange for package deliveries when you’ll be at home or where you can security pick up your items to help prevent becoming a victim of porch pirates.
Protecting Your Home Over the Holidays and Year-Round
Burglaries occur every 90 seconds in Canada, with more than 80% of incidents taking place during the day. So, whether it’s the holidays or during peak summer months, an ADT (now Telus) monitored alarm system from Alarm Guard provides added holiday home security for you, your property, and your family.
Check out our packages and call now for a free quote at 1-855-518-4458 and talk with an expert about a customized package to keep your home safe and secure throughout the year, including this holiday season. Plus, a security system could help you save on homeowner’s insurance.