It’s the time of year when residential properties are at their most vulnerable, abandoned for more appealing prospects of cottages, beaches and resorts. But coming home after summer vacation can be bitter if the furniture is turned over and the valuables gone. With that in mind, police are reminding resident summertime typically signals a significant rise in break-ins.
“When people are away for extended periods of time we are just asking them to use their home security strategies. To make sure that their homes are properly secured before they leave and to continue to make sure that they look lived in while they are away,” advises Waterloo Regional Police spokesman Olaf Heinzel.
The increase is tied to a tendency by vacationers to leave their homes looking vacant, signaling to potential robbers that the house is ripe for the picking. For that reason, the police routinely issue warnings to remind homeowners to take precautions before going away.
Past years have shown breaks-ins can spike by as much as 30 per cent over the summer months.
“For the first six months of 2012, for the area patrolled by Rural North Division, which includes Woolwich Township and a portion of Wellesley Township, there have been 15 residential break-and-enters reported. During the same period in 2011, there were 17 incidents. However, within the more urban areas of the region, break-and-enters are up 33 per cent,” he noted.
Property owners can access tools for home security measures through Waterloo Regional Police Service website (www.wrps.on.ca), where they will find downloadable suggestions regarding home security measures and a checklist of precautions. Instructions include straightforward advice about illuminating the outside of a property but also a few more unconventional tips such as preventing hedges and lawn objects from becoming hiding places for possible intruders.
