July, holidays and thieves

For many, they will have started their holidays this weekend, for many others, they will start in a few weeks. Anyway, we will all go to rest a few days away from home throughout this month and next.

For this reason, in Grupo Eurofesa, a company specializing in consulting, engineering, installation and maintenance of security systems, we want to leave you with a series of tips and measures to be taken before, during and after these breaches. The reason? The holiday seasons are ably used by thieves to carry out robberies in closed spaces (homes, commercial establishments or large companies) and outdoor thefts.

Before the holidays

It is important to have sales and resistant doors, with bars and bolts, in addition to using alarm or video surveillance systems. Before leaving, we must make sure that everything works perfectly.

If the house is going to be completely empty and without activity during our absence, it is essential to inform the CRA (Alarm Receiving Center) to carry out the relevant tests beforehand and be alert of any possible incident during the indicated period.

We all like to brag about the days before our departure about the time we will be away and the places we will visit. But be careful! We must not tell anyone or communicate constantly through social networks. The techniques of the thieves have also been perfected and, at present, they carry out an exhaustive search of information on the Internet about their victims. Similarly,  the answering machine message should never indicate that one is absent or on vacation.

It is important to maintain the aspect of inhabited housing always. You can ask trusted family or friends to help you pick up the mail, turn on the lights or raise the blinds frequently.

Hurry is never good. We are eager to leave to disconnect, but it is essential to make sure that all the doors and windows are closed, the valuables are kept in inconspicuous and safe places, and the alarm is connected. It is also important to disconnect electrical appliances and close the water and gas faucets to avoid short circuits and possible fires.

During the holidays

Although less and less, in Spain we are accustomed to always pay with cash. For this reason, we usually carry large amounts of vacations and we must be careful with them. It is preferable not to carry it over always, since on the beach (for example) it is usual to bathe or walk along the shore, leaving our belongings alone for a few minutes. But it is not advisable to leave everything in the hotel room or apartment, without any security. The idea is to store valuables in a safe, whose password is only known to us.

Linked with the above, it is advisable to always be aware of our things. The thieves usually take advantage of any carelessness to carry out their thefts: the mobile phone in a beach bag, the money or the wallet on the promenade, the car or any object inside when gasoline is being poured, etc.

If you have video surveillance cameras at home, connected to a mobile application from which to control them, it is interesting to check daily that everything in our house continues in order.

After the holidays

When returning from our trips, it is important to notify the CRA again to avoid false alarms.

It is essential to have an inventory of the properties available, indicating the type, brand, model and serial number, as well as the corresponding invoices so that, in case of theft, the possession of said objects can be demonstrated and verified.

If upon arriving at our home we find the door open or forced, or the windows were broken, you should immediately call the State Security Corps to report what happened. If possible, it is better not to touch anything with the aim of not fouling the crime scene.

In the event that the above occurs, it is advisable to review the industrial security solutions installed and proceed to contract other types of services that expand coverage through more modern systems.