Top tips on hiding valuables at home
In the UK, it’s estimated that there’s a burglary every 40 seconds1. That’s thousands of break-ins across the country each year. From planned to opportunistic, most thieves won’t hang around for long, grabbing as many valuables as they can and turning tail before they draw attention to themselves.
Although we can’t stop burglaries from happening, we can make it harder for thieves to steal the things we hold most dear. Mainly by making sure we protect and even hide valuables when we’re not home. Here’s our guide on keeping your valuables safe and sound, wherever you are.
WHERE TO PLACE THEM
Before we talk about where to hide valuables, it’s good to look at where you keep them when you are at home. Some burglars go on the lookout in neighbourhoods, scoping out houses and peering through windows looking for signs a house is worth the effort.
To avert prying eyes, make sure you don’t leave things like expensive laptops, phones or game consoles close to windows. It’s also worth breaking down boxes from new purchases and putting them in a bin instead of leaving them lying around outside.
You may also want to think about keys. If you have an expensive car on the drive, make sure you don’t leave them in plant pots or close to your letterbox where they’re easily reached.
WHERE TO HIDE THEM
Once you’ve audited where you place valuables, it’s time to think about where you’d hide them when you’re out. Here are a few places they’ll never think to look:
In the loft
Burglars will never set foot in the loft, as they risk being trapped there if you come home2. So, it’s one of the safest places to hide valuables.
In kitchen cupboards
Simply wash out and keep containers of things you’ve used, then stow your valuables inside. This could be anything from an old coffee or hot chocolate tub, to an empty cereal or cracker box - anything that you can’t see through and is roomy enough.
In the kids’ room
Another place that’s unlikely for them to check is your child’s room. One former burglar said it’s an unwritten rule that children’s rooms are a ‘no-go area’3. Try toy boxes, hollowed out storybooks or wrapped in their clothing.
HOW TO MAKE THEM TRACEABLE
If the worst were to happen and your home is burgled it’s good to make sure that, if they’re found, they’re easily traced back to you.
One sure-fire way is to mark them with your postcode and house number with a UV pen – invisible to burglars but not to police or pawn brokers.
You can also register them on immobilise.com – a service that works with the police to help homeowners retrieve stolen property.
Another way is to put deterrent stickers on things like laptops, identity documents and other valuables to make sure burglars know they’re traceable.
While hiding valuables can keep them safer, you should always think about the security of your home as a whole too. A monitored alarm means if it goes off, someone’s always there to answer it 24/7/365.
Take a look on our site for more safety tips and products or fill in the form under ‘get a quote’ and we’ll call you to discuss the best way to keep your family secure.
1 https://crimestoppers-uk.org/keeping-safe/home-property-safety/burglary