According to the British Crime Survey the total number of domestic burglaries in England & Wales in 2006 was 733,000 - that's more than one every 45 seconds!
The following steps will reduce your chances of adding your home to these statistics:
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Create a 'lived-in' look. A house that is obviously unoccupied is vulnerable so it's a good idea to make it look like someone is at home even when they're not. You can do that by setting lights to come on and off during the evening, and installing curtains and blinds that automatically close at night and open in the morning.
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Install exterior lighting. Burglars hate to be seen, so make sure that your porch, front and rear garden, and any alleyways are lit either by PIR-activated or dusk-to-dawn lights.
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Install an alarm system. A good visible alarm system significantly reduces the likelihood of a property being targeted by criminals. Burglar alarms range from simple systems that sound an alarm to fully monitored systems and can be wired or wireless (the latter being particularly suited to retro-fit situations).
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Install surveillance cameras. Consider installing cameras which will feed pictures to your TV, video recorder or hard disk drive. With network (IP) cameras you can even monitor your property via the internet while you are away!
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