How to secure your home and deter burglars

Introducing yourself to neighbours, exchanging contact details, checking in regularly about suspicious activity in your local area and joining a Neighbourhood Watch group are all ways that can help prevent opportunistic crime in your street and suburb. Social media is a great place to find, join and collaborate with established groups trying to enhance community safety.

You can also take the take the free How Safe is My Place quiz to learn where your home might be at risk of break-in by burglars and get a report with security tips tailored to your home.

More: How to improve security in your neighbourhood

Many Victorians make things easy for burglars by failing to properly lock up their properties and valuables. Go the extra mile by installing and using door deadlocks, window locks, strong security doors and safes for valuables.

Garages are often overlooked by Victorians as burglar entry points. Prevent garage break-ins by keeping your garage doors well-maintained and regularly serviced. You can also zip tie your garage door's emergency release cord together so it can't be hooked outside by a burglar with a coat hanger.

Home security systems can be effective burglar deterrents. Make sure you have them routinely tested and serviced by a licensed security technician and advertise the use of home security technology on your property via signs at your gate, garage or entrance area.

Smart security cameras (CCTV) allow you to keep an eye on your home from wherever you are. They can also provide evidence to police in the case of a break-in. Home alarm systems can arm your entire house or just certain areas to frighten burglars and alert neighbours. Having your system professionally monitored adds an extra and valuable layer by notifying security teams of any attempted break-ins.

By strategically illuminating your home and its surroundings, you can significantly improve your home's security. Landscape lighting, motion sensor lighting or timer lighting all improve visibility around your property. This eliminates dark corners for intruders to hide in, making it harder for trespassers to approach your home undetected.

Motion sensor lights are particularly effective at startling potential burglars and drawing attention to their presence, discouraging break-ins.

"Burglars don’t want to be in your house for any longer than they have to," says Gordon. "The average time spent on a burglary is eight minutes, so the items most likely to be stolen are those that are clearly in sight, just inside an open door or window."

Hot items for burglars include mobile phones, tablets, laptops, cash, power tools, jewellery, passports and even bikes. When you're away from home, make valuables difficult to find by keeping them locked in a safe or in hidden drawers.

Valuable documents and sensitive personal information are in demand with burglars as identify theft becomes a lucrative crime with more of our lives taking place online.

Many households increase their risk of identity theft by leaving key documents such as passports, tax returns, bank statements and utility bills out in plain sight for burglars to steal. This information can be used to access your identity and money, so always keep these contents in a locked drawer or safe, and keep the keys in a secure location.

More: Guide to the best safes for your home

Allowing your garden to become unruly is an obvious sign that you’re often away from home. An overgrown garden also allows burglars to easily access common break-in points, such as doors and windows, without being seen by neighbours.

Give your garden or front porch a tidy up and consider installing sensor lights in areas like the front and back entrance, as well as smaller windows that are out of your view. Also ensure that your bins are placed out on bin night, and that cars are parked in your driveway or outside of your house, when you’re away on holiday.

Obvious places such as under the doormat are among the first places thieves check for a set of spare keys to gain easy access to your home. If you need an extra key stored near your home, consider installing a strong key safe in a non-obvious location.

If you’re really concerned about locking yourself out, install a smart lock that can be opened with a code or via a smartphone, or leave a spare set of keys with a trusted friend or family member.

While it can be very tempting to post your happy snaps on Facebook or Instagram while you're on holiday, social media platforms are the easiest way for burglars to know you’re away from home. Try to refrain from posting online about your holiday until you’re back in your house.