Close the door on burglars

Sneak-in thefts are more common in the summer months so take some quick and simple precautions to prevent them it from happening in your home

Pc Trevor Waudby, from Hull Citysafe, gives tips to east Hull resident Dawn Chehreh about how to prevent burglars sneaking into her home

Imagine the scene: it's a beautiful hot summer and you've opened your back door and windows to let a cool breeze into your home.
It's such a nice day, the last thing on your mind is keeping thieves at bay but it's exactly these sorts of days when opportunist burglars will see an open window or door and sneak silently in for an easy steal.
"They can be in and out of a property very quickly without the inhabitant ever knowing," says PC Trevor Waudby, crime prevention officer from Hull Citysafe.
"Often, they'll steal keys to the doors of the house so they can return later and burgle the house again. And if car keys are taken it's very likely the family car will be stolen as well."

Open ground-floor windows provide access

Leaving doors unlocked can increase the risk.

While gardening, make sure your doors and windows are locked to keep your home secure

Cooking up an opportunity

Sneak-in burglars will also take advantage of people leaving their front doors unlocked when they're in the back garden having a barbecue.
"When people are relaxing and having a drink, they tend to be off their guard," adds PC Waudby.
"But it's important to make sure doors and windows are locked when you're out in the garden. "Burglars can be in your house in a flash and will take anything that comes to hand such as handbags, purses, and small electrical items."

Lock it up!

Gardening tools and equipment such as lawn mowers and strimmers are also at risk from thieves if they are not properly locked away.Garden furniture, barbecues, children toys and even plants and shrubs can also be a target.
"Be security conscious!" says PC Waudby. "Don't leave valuable objects in the garden overnight. Instead make sure they are suitably locked away in a shed or garage."

Get smart

The chemical liquid known as SmartWater is also a good deterrent for burglars. Applied to valuables with a brush or pen, it leaves a unique forensic fingerprint - almost invisible to the eye - which fluoresces under ultraviolet light and can be traced to individual premises.
Thanks to funding from ONE HULL, more than £150,000 of property marking equipment is now being given out, including more than 9,000 SmartWater home-marking pens.
Second hand dealers will also be issued with UV torches in a bid to stem the flow of stolen goods.
To find out more about SmartWater, contact the Community Wardens on Hull 587550.

Follow the advice:

Stay crime-free this summer with these safety tips from Hull Citysafe:

• Even when you are at home, always keep windows and external doors locked when they are not in use. Keep the keys in a safe place in case of emergency.
• If possible, avoid leaving windows open when you are not in the room.
• Install a house alarm.
• Consider erecting fencing and/or prickly shrubs around the perimeter or rear of gardens.
• Ensure all outside garden gates are locked when not in use.
• Fit outside lighting which is activated by a PIR sensor. Burglars do not like to be seen.
• When going to bed, take house and car keys upstairs so they cannot be used if someone does enter the home. Keep them in a safe place in case of emergency.
• Don't leave items of value on display; keep them away from windows and doors.
• Remove anything from the garden, such as garden tools, that could be used to break-in to the house.
• Make sure bins can't be used to climb up to windows where they can get into the house.
• Ensure garages and sheds are fitted with adequate locks and consider installing portable alarms inside them. Replace glass in windows of sheds with polycarbonate sheet which is harder to break than glass.