Tips to prevent a Christmas burglary

The Christmas season is a time when opportunistic thieves target WA homes.

Between 1 December 2021 and 31 January 2022, RAC received 398 burglary claims, which represents an average of 6 home burglaries every day over that period.

Common claims during the Christmas season include jewellery, electrical equipment, computers and accessories, bikes, and tools.

Looking at RAC Insurance lodged home contents claims data from July-June 21/22, we saw:

• Friday was the worst day for home theft

• 4am was the worst time for home theft

• 24 Dec 2021 and 28 Jan 2022 were the worst dates for home theft

There are easy things you can do to reduce the risk and make sure your home and family are safe this Christmas. Here are our top tips:

Don't advertise at home

Dispose of gift packaging and boxes carefully so you’re not advertising new contents to thieves. Break it down and put it inside bins out of sight or wait until bin day to dispose of it. If you’ve received big ticket items, check your level ofhome insurance cover to make sure you've got enough cover.

Make sure you throw away the wrapping paper so it can't be seen

Don't advertise on social media

You may be excited about your summer trip away from home, but don’t spread the word on your social media accounts that you’ll be going away – it’s advertising that your place will soon be unoccupied. Instead save your holiday stories and all your holiday pics until you get back home.

Don't spread the word that you're going to be away from home

Visible gifts

Everyone loves to show off a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, but make sure any gifts under or around it aren't visible from the street. Being able to see your wrapped gifts may be tempting for would-be thieves. Keeping gifts out of sight can go a long way towards discouraging opportunistic theft.

Move presents away from the window so they can't be seen from the street

Going away

Ensure your home doesn't look vacant when you go away on holidays. Ask family or friends to put out the rubbish bins, collect your mail and look after your garden so it’s less obvious you’re not home. It's also a good idea to use timers on lights so it looks like someone is home at night.

An overflowing mailbox is an obvious sign that there's no one home

Lock up your home

Secure all entry points to your home, including access to your backyard. Check that all windows and doors are locked, even when you're home. Many people spend extra time in their backyard relaxing and entertaining over the Christmas break, leaving the rest of the home vulnerable to break ins if doors are left unlocked for guests to let themselves in. When you are away from home, a security system will keep you covered, so if you don't already have one, consider having one installed. Once you have a security system, you can also opt to have it monitored by a security company.

Don't forget to lock up the house, even if you're home

Lock up your yard

Make sure you don’t leave any tools or hardware equipment around your yard that could be stolen or used to help a thief gain or force entry into your home. Lock up things like ladders, hammers and other tools and equipment that you may keep on the outside of your home.

Lock up ladders and any other tools or equipment someone could use to gain access to your home

Is your home as secure as you'd like it?

If you’d like to improve your home security, RAC can provide you with a free in-home security consultation, plus as an RAC member you'll enjoy a range of discounts on home security products.

RAC Security