Tips to stop your house being burglared this Christmas

Kildare householders are being urged to remain on their guard for burglaries in the run up to the Christmas period.

The latest CSO figures show that the number of break-ins always peak around festive time of the year.

PhoneWatch, which provides monitored home safety systems, is urging all householders to remain vigilant, especially in the run up to Christmas, which is peak season for opportunist burglars.

Managing Director Eoin Dunne said: "The steady continuance in burglary and related offences is truly alarming and indicates that the level of burglary has not decreased as the economy improves."

PhoneWatch advises all householders that there are a number of measures that they can follow to keep their home safe and protect themselves against burglars:

• Ensure that front and back doors are locked and windows shut.

• Don’t keep spare keys outside - instead ensure your neighbour has a spare key for emergencies

• Install a secondary locking system on front and back doors

• Always set your alarm when leaving the house

• Don’t update Social media or Facebook about your holiday plans

• Keep shrubs/hedges trimmed. Overgrown greenery will give burglars a place to hide

• Know your neighbours. Develop rapport and keep an eye on each other’s homes.

• Leave a light on in the porch or hallway - light deters intruders

• Before answering the door - check for unwelcome visitors.

• Check the ID of anyone who asks to enter your home for any type of ‘maintenance’ reason

• Make sure your exterior alarm box is clean - this implies that your alarm has recently been serviced.

• Always activate your house alarm