Throughout our lives we are taught, 'don't leave your phone lying around in plain sight', 'make sure you lock the car', 'shut the windows before you go out', and for good reason. Vulnerable homes, easy opportunities and a quick profit are what drive burglars to commit their crimes.

If you fail to put security precautions in place, you might just fall victim to your local robbers. Once you have a good idea of what burglars look for, you can put the correct deterrents and security features in place to keep them well away from your belongings.

What are burglars looking for?

As we've mentioned before, burglars are looking for valuable items that they can access easily to make a quick profit. This makes some items more appealing than others. Here are some of the top items that burglars look for:

• Money
• Jewellery
• Phones, TV's, laptops etc.
• Prescription drugs

Bear in mind that burglars will tend to look for small, light and valuable items before turning their attention to larger, potentially riskier items. If they're travelling on foot, burglars will look for things that can fit into their backpack or into their pockets.

Wherever possible, you should always remove valuables from your car or at least put them out of sight if you need to leave them overnight. When storing your valuables in the home, we recommend purchasing a safe or putting things in a secure safety deposit box. Your sock drawer, jewellery box and bedside cabinets are among the first places burglars will look when they arrive in your home!

Common tactics burglars use when choosing a target:

Vacant = vulnerable

Consider this, a burglar is roaming the streets outside your home and peering in the windows to assess which home has the most to offer with the smallest risk. Are they more likely to break into the home with the family wandering around and the lights clearly on, or the home that looks like it's been abandoned for the weekend... It's a no-brainer. Leaving a light turned on and ensuring your house isn't left vacant for long periods of time is a great way to deter burglars. 

If you do need to leave your house unattended for longer than a few days, why not consider adding a home security system? This could include a remotely controlled and monitored CCTV cameras,  intruder alarms, door entry systems and more.

Doggy deterrents 

Although we're sure you don't need another excuse to add a furry friend to your home, having a dog in the house can dramatically reduce the likelihood of a break-in. Burglars tactically choose homes without a sharp-toothed and noisy intruder alarm, and it's understandable why. Dogs are protective of their owners and their homes and will no doubt put up a good fight if they feel threatened.

Not allowed a dog in your property? Why not play the burglar at their own game and employ some cunning tactics of your own. Hang a 'Beware of the Dog' sign on your gate or leave a dog bowl and some toys outside to throw burglars off the scent.

Spotting easy entry points

Another tactic that burglars employ to choose when targeting a home is looking for easy entry points. A window left open or a door that's slightly ajar is just asking for trouble, be extra vigilant when you leave the house. Note that even a locked door can be an easy entry point if you leave a key in an obvious and easily accessible place eg... under the mat (the first place any burglar would look). 

Read More: Where Do Burglars Enter Your Home?

If you want to keep your belongings safe and out of the hands of burglars, don't hesitate to get in touch. Now you know what burglars are looking for, you can enquire about our range of security systems for your home! Call us on 029 20 753 251 now.

Equipping your home with a personal CCTV camera can be extremely useful for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from deterring criminal activity to catching the culprits red-handed.

However, it can also act as an avenue for capturing the weird, the wonderful and the unexplained and commonly crops up in the news across the world for its ability to

Weird, Wonderful and Unexplained

While there are literally hundreds of examples of amazing home security footage the world over, ranging from chilling ghost sightings to attempted burglaries gone awry, we’ve picked a small handful of the best light-hearted examples of what goes on when the red light is showing.

The Weird: Taste Test

The electric doorbell has been a useful addition to home technology worldwide since its invention way back in the early 1900s. That being said, one use the humble doorbell isn’t famed for is its taste.

However, it seems nobody told Roberto Daniel Arroyo that fact and the California resident decided to put it to the test one winter evening.

In January 2019, Arroya was caught on a home security camera licking a doorbell of a local neighbourhood home… for three hours, no less.

Following the bizarre incident, Arroyo was charged with loitering while the moreish doorbell was thoroughly disinfected and presumably offered counselling.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFJy2gFQgF8

The Wonderful: Ludwig Van Beartoven

A family in Colorado returned home from a weekend away to find that their house had been broken into. However, upon closer inspection, the security footage told a far grizzlier tale…

Home cameras had recorded the whole incident, which showed that their house had in fact been visited by a wild bear.

The large black bear was seen prowling around the house throughout the video, nosing around the living room and other areas.

Luckily, the placid character refrained from exercising his right to bear arms and damage was kept to the bear minimum.

I did, however, stop to have a quick play on the piano during his brief stay.

The Unexplained: Creature of the Night

In June 2019, Vivian Gomez made a spell-binding discovery when viewing her own home security camera one Sunday morning.

The video, taken the night before, seemed to show a bizarre creature strutting down the driveway, performing a chicken dance.

Gomez made her weird home security footage public when she posted it on Facebook and it didn’t take long for the clip to go viral.

Many watching the video liken the creature’s appearance and movements to that of Dobby the house-elf from Harry Potter.

Meanwhile, others have taken a far less imaginative approach to the fantastical beast and chalk it up to her young son goofing around with pants on his head.

Either way, it remains a bizarre and disturbing sight!

CCTV from IDS Security

While CCTV can undoubtedly be great for recording cool and unusual sights that would have otherwise gone by unseen, it’s worth remembering that they are primarily designed as a security feature to keep you, your family and your home safe.

At IDS Security, we offer a variety of security camera solutions for your property, ranging from conventional CCTV cameras to high-tech digital IP cameras, all of which can be tailored for your home and personal requirements.

With IDS Security, your home is in safe hands. Our state-of-the-art products, coupled with the expert knowledge of our experienced team of staff, makes for a winning combination that gives you true peace of mind, wherever you are.

If you are interested in finding out more about CCTV cameras for your home or any other method of home security at IDS, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 029 20 753 251 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

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If Home Alone has taught us nothing else – and I think we can all agree that it’s taught us a lot – it’s that opportunistic criminals love nothing more than cashing in on Christmas, occasionally through hilarious, madcap means.

Sadly, most of us don’t have a Kevin McCallister on hand to fend off such yuletide looters, leaving your home very much alone and wide open to festive thievery.

Luckily, there are a few simple ways you can boost your Christmas home security this December…

Christmas Home Security Tips

Designed to ensure you and your family have a very merry Christmas that goes by without a hitch, here are our top Christmas home security tips for keeping burglars at bay and your home safe this festive season.

1. Don't Give Thieves a Window of Opportunity

A common mistake for many homeowners looking to deck their homely halls with outside Christmas lights is by feeding cables and extension leads through partially opened windows.

Naturally, this provides an effortless entryway for would-be burglars to gain access to the inside of your property. A Christmas home security fail - if you will!

In fact, it’s a literal glowing sign for any thief looking to go rockin’ robbing at Christmastime and a schoolboy error that should be avoided at all costs.

Where possible, opt for battery-powered and decorative illuminations to avoid any need for a plug-in power source altogether.

There are even solar-powered lights on the market if you want to kill two birds with one stone and give back to the environment at the same time.

If mains-powered decorations are all you have and the only option available, consider installing an outside electrical outlet to power your lights without needing to use the inside.

2. Get Rid of Gift Boxes Discreetly

With Christmas refuse collection notoriously disorganised and infrequent during the festive period, it’s not unusual for bags to mount up by the time collections are finally made.

In the case of recycling, this can leave you with a veritable shop window right outside your house, telling the entire street what now lies inside your house post-Xmas.

For passing burglars, this can be like watching The Generation Game, providing a glorified conveyor belt of boxes, packages and containers to whet their appetite.

To keep your contents protected, be sure to rip or fold up any boxes to obscure their previous contents, particularly those that housed something valuable, e.g. a games system or an iPad.

Better still, try to keep your recycling bags off the street and out of view until the night before collection to reduce the chances of a crafty criminal-turned-Columbo detecting what valuables you and your family had for Christmas.

3. Take Precautions If You're Vacating Your Property

Many of us will be looking to spend our Christmases with friends, family and loved ones at various points throughout the festive period. Naturally, this can and often will, involve leaving your property unattended in the process.

If you are going to be vacating your home for an extended period of time over Christmas, taking the appropriate precautions is vital when it comes to protecting your premises.

For extended absences, you may want to ask your neighbour to pick up any deliveries that may build up outside your door to make it less obvious.

Even if you only plan on staying elsewhere overnight, it’s well worth investing in a light switch timer to make it seem as though your house is occupied with periodic lighting.

A typical burglary takes less than ten minutes from start to finish and a good light switch timer can cost less than £30.00. If you can put a price on peace of mind, £30 is definitely a bargain.

4. Don't Leave Gifts In Full View

Gifts nestled safely under a Christmas tree is a given for most houses at Christmastime. However, that doesn’t mean you need to give the street a perfect view of your festive haul.

Leaving your presents in full view of the window – particularly when it comes to houses that back directly on to the street – allows burglars to size up your presents before Christmas has even arrived.

What’s more, once Christmas Day has come and gone, any expensive presents left in full view can leave would-be thieves salivating like a dog in a butcher’s window.

Simply drawing the curtains or placing such items out of obvious view is an easy way to remedy this, so be sure to get into the habit sooner rather than later.

Similarly, broadcasting the newest additions to your contents collection online via social media can also be a risky action. After all, how well do your really know your social media connections?

You could be advertising to the wrong crowd without even knowing it, so think twice before you post that status thanking your partner for the new 65” Smart TV that now sits proudly in your living room.

5. Ensure You Have Fire Safety Precautions In Place

Taking steps to deter thieves and keep your home secure from criminals isn’t the only way to keep your property safe at Christmastime – it’s also important to take fire precautions as well.

Christmas trees are a common offender when it comes to household fires at Christmastime, so keeping your tree away from open flames is a simple yet hugely effective way of reducing the risk of fire during the Christmas period.

Avoid placing your tree anywhere near a heating source, such as a fireplace or potentially flammable electric heater. Meanwhile, always refrain from lighting candles anywhere near your tree.

In addition to that, you may want to think about the tree lights as well. Old Christmas lights can pose a greater risk of catching fire and could see your festive fir light up in an altogether more dangerous way should a bulb blow.

Finally, be sure to switch your tree lights off whenever you leave the house and before you go to bed. Not only will it save you money on your electric bill, it also reduces the likelihood of a fire occurring in your absence.

So, there you have it: five great ways to boost your home security at Christmas. For more advice on how to keep your home secure at Christmas, why not drop us a line? Call now on 029 20 753 251 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

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Tonight the trick or treaters will be out in force celebrating Halloween, and while this is a time for fun and fright, it's important to keep your home safe and free from pranksters! Here are a few ways you can protect your home from misbehaving monsters tonight...

Jack-O-Lanterns & Lights

While the friendly (or fearsome) faces of jack-o'-lanterns will let people know you're celebrating Halloween, you should also want to consider leaving your porch lights on for a few hours. Alternatively, fit your home with a motion sensor light that will automatically illuminate as passers-by head towards your home. Illuminating your home will deter unwanted visitors and vandals while also making it much easier to spot someone acting suspiciously!

Go for the Garage

Cars are such an easy target on Halloween, so, if you can, we recommend parking your car somewhere secure and out of sight. A garage or even a well-lit area can prevent you from waking up to a nasty new paint job courtesy of pranksters and their spray paint! Consider moving your car to a neighbour's driveway or garage if you don't have one yourself.

Opt for Flameless Candles

With so many people walking around your home, it's very likely that one of your pumpkins could be knocked or kicked over. When you use real candles, there's a possibility of a fire! Why not choose flameless candles instead? They will keep your home safe without putting a dampener on your devilish decorations!

Snap Some Shots

Before the sun sets, take some pictures around your home. this will help you prove if any vandals have de-faced your home in the morning! Better yet, use your CCTV system to keep a close eye on the events of the evening. You can kick back, relax and watch a scary movie in peace knowing that your property is safe and secure!

If you want any more advice about keeping your home safe tonight, or if you want to improve your home security for the future, give our advisors a call on 029 20 753 251.

On Sunday 27th October the clocks go back, which means it's time to update your home security routine. When the dark nights draw in, there's often an influx of house robberies and car thefts as criminals take advantage of the earlier dusk.

Securing your possessions is of utmost importance at this time of year. Many of us are starting our Christmas shopping, and nothing screams 'easy target' to a criminal more than the brand new PlayStation you've haphazardly left in the boot of your car. Taking a little extra time to make sure your home and vehicles aren't vulnerable can make all the difference, but this isn't the only step you should take. Let's dive into some other important precautions...

Light it Up

A great way to give the illusion that someone is home is by leaving a couple of lights on around the house. Worried about your energy bills? Try plugging your lamps into timer switches or switch to energy-efficient bulbs.

Similarly, pick a parking spot that's in a well-lit area rather than parking your car in the shadows. Burglars are far more likely to target cars in secluded side streets! You could even add external lighting to your home or driveway to keep these areas safe and sound. 

Lock and Check

Make sure easily accessible windows, doors and gates are locked before you head out. Taking five minutes to whip around your house and garden to double-check everything is secure will save you days of stress and heartache when you come home to a house that's been ravaged by burglars. 

Keep an Eye

For an added layer of security, why not consider adding CCTV inside or outside your home? Speak to our advisors about adding CCTV that can be remotely accessed from your mobile phone wherever you are. Even if you're working late one night or visiting a Christmas market, you'll be able to keep a close eye on your home & belongings! 

Intruder Alert!!

A great alternative to a CCTV camera is an intruder alarm. We offer intruder alarms with 24/7 monitoring packages, so if someone did attempt a break-in, we'd be on the case immediately. Concerned the police wouldn't get there in time? We use the latest digital signalling equipment to make sure the relevant emergency service units are contacted automatically if an incident was to occur. 

If you'd like to speak to a member of the IDS team about improving your home security before winter truly takes hold, get in touch! 

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