Universal Combat Arts Academy Ireland

Most burglaries are carried out by opportunist thieves. In around 20% of all burglaries, they
don't even have to use force. They enter through an open door or window.

Reduce the risk of your home being burgled by taking these simple precautions:

Fit strong locks to external doors and windows, and make sure they are locked.
Remove the keys and keep them out of sight and in a safe place.
Never leave a spare key in a convenient hiding place such as under the doormat, in a
flowerpot or behind a loose brick - thieves know to look there first.
Fit an alarm to your house and, if you can afford to, install a monitored alarm.
Fit sensor lights outside your home
Fit a door chain or bar and a door viewer (spy-hole) and use them every time someone
calls.
Leave a light on at night if you are going out or have one on a timer.

Answering The Door

In 4% of burglaries thieves used false pretence to gain entry to a property. Most people
who call at your home will be genuine. But sometimes, people call with the intention of
tricking their way into your home. They are known as "distraction burglars" or "bogus
callers", whose aim is to get into homes to distract people and steal their money or
valuables.
Try to identify the caller before opening the door. Use the spy-hole or window to see
who is there.
Do not open the door if you do not know the person. Use the chain to have a
conversation.
Ask for ID. Burglars will often impersonate someone i.e gas company, phone company
etc. Burglars will have pretty good forgeries of identification so phone the company
they belong to and see if the call-out is genuine. If there is a phone number on the ID
do not use that number as it could also be fake.
Do not let the person know you are at home alone.
Do not let anyone in to use the phone.
Do not let small children answer the door.

Answering the Phone

Initiate a call with “hello”, do not give your name and number
Don’t let the person phoning know you are at home alone.
If you do live by yourself have the message on your answer machine say, “I’m sorry but
we’re not able to answer the phone right now”. Or if you are a female who lives alone
you could also get a male friend to leave the same message on your answering
machine. Never leave the message, “we’re not in right now”.
If you receive an abusive or threatening phone call, put the handset down by the
phone. After a few minutes replace the handset (hang up) but don’t listen to hear if the
caller is still there and don’t say anything as it is an emotional reaction the caller is
after. If the calls continue tell the Gardaí and your phone company. Also keep a record
of the dates and times of the calls and, if you can, record the calls.
Children should not answer the phone as they can be persuaded into disclosing
detailed information i.e. who is in or out, what are mum and dad’s names etc.
Be suspicious of phone surveys, give-aways or contest winning. Never give out any
personal information if you have not initiated the call.

Another good tip is to simply be a good Neighbour!!! If you see anyone acting suspiciously in
your neighbourhood, call the Gardaí. Also Get in touch your local Neighbourhood Watch
scheme or form a new one in your area. It all helps in preventing crime. It the thieves see
that your Neighbourhood looks after itself, they will move on to a Neighbourhood that is an
easier target.