ADT experts offer advice to residents feeling unsafe in autumn months

A new survey has revealed that 76.5% of British residents feel more conscious about the safety of their homes during Autumn months.

The study, conducted by security experts at ADT, interviewed 2,000 residents of the UK to determine how the Autumn months affect people's actions. The experts also offered advice on how to secure the home and deter potential thieves during the longer nights.

Are users more conscious of home security when nights are longer? 

What measures would increase sense of safety at home during winter months? (Selects all that apply)

Michele Bennett, General Manager at ADT UK&I comments, “Opportunistic thieves use darkness to their advantage, so it’s no surprise that the number of burglaries committed increases when the nights draw in."

"Our burglary report found that burglaries are most common at night, with 58% of burglaries occurring between 6pm-6am. Taking steps to optimise your home’s security before the clocks go back this year will provide reassurance that your property is as secure as possible.”

5 ways to secure a property

• Get a monitored alarm installed: 

A visible alarm system is a strong deterrent to potential burglars, as criminals are less likely to target a home that is protected.

In the event of a break-in, a monitored alarm will alert users, their keyholders and depending on the package you take out, the police, ensuring a swift response to an alarm activation.

• Light up the dark:

Install motion-activated lights around any entry points, particularly porches and gardens

Well-lit exteriors make your home less appealing to potential intruders. Install motion-activated lights around any entry points, particularly porches and gardens, which alert user to movement on their property. 

This will also prevent burglars from operating under the cloak of darkness and increase the chance of a passerby spotting suspicious activity.

• Trim garden landscape:

Thieves look for escape routes and hiding spots when deciding which homes to break into, making gardens with high, overgrown hedges more likely to be targeted.

This is especially true in the longer evenings, so be sure to give your garden a thorough tidy-up to make your property less likely to be targeted. It’s also advisable to ensure any tools are locked away in sheds and garages that could assist a burglar such as ladders, or a garden spade to force entry.

• Be smart with lights:

Programming lights to come on at different times throughout the night will help to deter burglars

Using smart plugs allows to turn on a few well-appointed lights and radios or televisions from any location from phone. Used in conjunction with an outdoor camera or video doorbell, users can have lamps plugged into smart plugs come on when motion is detected.

Programming lights to come on at different times throughout the night will help to deter burglars by making your property look occupied. 

• Purchase a smart doorbell or outdoor camera:

Smart doorbells are an effective way to deter burglars as they provide evidence in the event of a break-in, package theft, or other suspicious activity around the home.

They also notify when someone is at door reducing the chance of being caught out by a late evening or early morning robbery. 

Smart doorbells

Smart doorbells also act as a deterrent to unscrupulous door-to-door sellers and con artists, as video footage is recorded. In the event of a late-night door knock, user can see and speak to whoever is at front door, without having to open the door.

ADT’s new outdoor camera also has two-way audio and a high-pitch deterrent siren so users can warn off anyone from property to deter any further encroachment.