I am sure you cannot honestly say that you are not looking forward to an end-of-year break, and for those more fortunate, this will include a holiday away.

Whilst people spend hours planning holidays away from their homes; little attention is given to anything apart from, hopefully, pet sitting. The security profile of your home, and your business, changes considerably when you are not there on a day-to-day basis.

Burglars are often not burglars and are opportunists looking for an easy take, and they will move on to another home or office if it is an easier target. More often than not, burglars have watched the area for some time before making a move. The key is to convince the burglar that your premises are not worth the risk and that easier targets can be found elsewhere.

Security items to consider before leaving to go on holiday

• Is your alarm functioning correctly and is there enough power if load shedding?
• Is your external lighting effective, and are the bulbs in good working order? In some shallow regions, motion sensor lights might provide a suitable solution.
• Consider putting timers on lamps and TVs to give the impression that someone is in the house. This can be a challenge if the timing is the same every day.
• Instead of sending dogs to kennels, a pet sitter can be an important security decision as the absence of a dog is often the key to the burglar knowing people are away. Remember that the pet sitter should also be screened as they will have free access to the home.
• Consider where to place the valuables you leave at home while you are away. Convicted burglars say that the bedside table and the medicine cabinet are the first places they check for valuables.
• The age-old story of being friendly with neighbours can also be an effective security tool. Still, sadly, we do see criminals moving into residential areas as tenants and watching the area to commit crimes. Do not approach a neighbour for security purposes unless you have known them for some time and trust them with your valuables.
• Many will consider upgrading their security system. Whatever your plan is, ensure that your security provider is a registered member of the South African Intruder Detection Service Associations (SAIDSA) so you can be confident that their equipment and training meet the necessary standards.
• Ensure your windows and doors are correctly locked – this might be the most basic and obvious tip, but it is also the most important. Most burglars will use the doors and windows to gain entry. Windows are known to be weak points, so check that they are closed and locked, even upstairs ones. You can add burglar bars as an extra security measure. This might be the most basic and obvious tip, but it is also the most important. Ensure that all door locks are functioning and that even the sliding doors are reinforced. You can add a deadbolt or strong locks for entryway doors. Also, check that you remove your spare key. You might think that a burglar might not find it, but this can be dangerous as it could give them easy access to your home.
• Do not post your holiday plans online. Social media plays an essential role in our daily lives, and you will probably be very excited about your goals and want to share your plans for the holiday online, but this is a terrible idea. It might seem harmless to share the details about your holiday plans or pictures while on holiday, but you never know who is watching. Criminals use social media pages to monitor their next victims, and you would be informing them that you are not home.
  
  To avoid break ins to your house, you should not share any details regarding your holiday until you return. If you know that you cannot wait that long then you can remove geotags on your social media posts or change your privacy settings so that only your friends can see your posts.