Stamford police share top tips for keeping homes safe this winter

Police in Stamford have shared their top tips for helping to keep homes safe from burglars this winter.

Stamford, Bourne and Deeping Police have encouraged people to make sure their home and property is secure.

It comes after the clocks went back at the weekend and as the nights begin to draw in.

Sally Picker, Crime Reduction Tactical Advisor at Lincolnshire Police, said:

"We want to educate Lincolnshire residents about home security, promoting best practice as well as advice on the kinds of products that help protect property and make them feel safe."

Here are the force's top tips:

-Make sure your house looks occupied – use timer switches to light up rooms that would normally be lit if you were home

-Make sure to leave a television or radio on, and don’t just light up hallways

-Ring doorbells should be approved by Secured by Design and can capture decent quality images of anyone walking towards your front door and contact you immediately

-Consider the exterior lighting at the front of your property to help natural surveillance

-Prevent open access to the rear of your property. Make sure all side gates are locked with sliding bolts, hasp stable and padlocks

-Make sure all doors and windows are locked when you are in the house, and before you go to bed

-Set intruder alarms if you have them

-Never leave keys in a “secret place”, such as a plant pot, or under a door mat. If you need to hide a key, go for a good quality Secured by Design keysafe, fitted in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, and keep it somewhere not easily visible

-Don’t leave your house and vehicle keys in the lock or on a side table in view of a window making it easy for a thief to fish them through your letterbox

-Don’t advertise when you will be away on social media

-Consider a Faraday bag to store your car keys if you have keyless cars.

Anybody who does come across anything suspicious is asked to contact police by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.

• stamford
• lincolnshire police