How to deter burglars from targeting your home: Raheem Sterling incident highlights theft risk

An empty house is an open invitation to the opportunist criminal. Not least if the signs are obvious that the property is unoccupied.

Certainly, England star Raheem Sterling has learnt the hard way about being absent from home after armed burglars broke into his Surrey mansion while the Chelsea forward was on duty in Qatar. 

The footballer rushed back to England to comfort his young family.

Protect your home: House burglary figures in the UK make for grim reading – with one committed every 40 seconds

Yet even if your movements aren’t advertised via the world’s most watched sporting tournament, in the excitement of preparing for a long-awaited trip away, it’s easy to forget the things which scream ‘no one home’ to a burglar.

House burglary figures in the UK make for grim reading — with one committed every 40 seconds. 

Thankfully, there are things we can do to make our homes look lived in when we’re away, creating what’s known as ‘mockupancy’ — the simulation of an occupied property.

>> Read our guide on how to find the best home contents insurance 

Plan ahead if you’re going away

The key is in the planning. So, before you leave, pause any deliveries that could be left on your doorstep. A bottle of milk or uncollected post are the obvious culprits.

It also helps not to make impulse purchases from your sun lounger. 

Anything you buy may well arrive ahead of its delivery date, and provide an open invitation to an opportunistic criminal.

Remove flowers from window sills too, says Kevin Spencer, head of product management at Yale UK. ‘Wilting leaves or flowers can be a tell-tale sign that you’re not home.’

Get someone to close and open the curtains

Get the neighbours on side. Not only to collect any unscheduled or rogue deliveries, but also to ask them if they mind parking in your front drive while you’re away — an easy move to make the house look occupied.

‘And ask your neighbour or family to visit every few days to draw and close blinds and curtains,’ suggests Robin Knox, founder of home security company Boundary. 

‘For the burglars that do their homework, this will make it appear that people are in and out during the day.’

If you don’t have someone who can help, leave blinds pulled down with the louvres tilted slightly to let some light in from outside without allowing a clear view of your rooms from the outside.

As for curtains, in the absence of anyone to help, Steffan George, managing director at the Master Locksmiths Association, suggests leaving these open, ‘as curtains that remain closed for days look far more suspicious’.

Armed burglars broke into England star Raheem Sterling Surrey mansion while he was on duty in Qatar

Redirect your post

If you don’t have neighbours who can help, aside from cancelling deliveries, consider setting up a Royal Mail Keepsafe account (£16.50 for up to ten days royalmail.com/keep-safe). 

‘This will hold mail for up to 66 days and deliver it the day after you return home,’ says Steffan George.

As for deliveries, it might be worth investing in a smart delivery box. These are locked containers which delivery drivers access through temporary pin codes so that parcels can be deposited safely and securely until you return home. 

Try the large front and rear Access Dark Grey Smart Parcel Box (£229.99, smartparcelbox.co.uk).

Keep the (smart) lights on

One of the obvious things is to leave random lights on to throw a potential thief off the scent.

But if they’re blazing in broad daylight it won’t do much to deter a professional criminal. 

That’s why it might be worth investing in ‘smart lighting’ — which you can operate randomly from afar via your smartphone or pre-program so that your house looks lived in.

‘You can even select a randomised feature which lights up different rooms and different times,’ says Kate Baker, lighting advisor at company 4liteuk.com.  Try the 4lite WiZ (£44 per bulb).

Outdoor security lighting with motion detection will also deter burglars.

If you want to upgrade to a ‘smarter’ version, security cameras and lights have now combined to light up the front of your home if any motion is detected, while allowing you to be notified of any movement directly to a smartphone. Try Yale’s All-In-One Camera (£89.99).

>> Could changing your smart meter readings increase your risk of burglary? 

Mow before you go

Social media is a no-no — despite the temptation to post smug pictures of beach-side cocktails.

Make sure to keep calendars out of view of any windows, so an opportunist can’t see if it’s on the wrong month — or if you’ve ringed ‘Ibiza, here we come’ in red pen on a specific date.

Overgrown front lawns can also be a giveaway so mow before you go and arrange for your garden to be taken care of if you’re away for weeks.

Lock up

It may sound simple, but triple check you’ve locked all your doors, windows, sheds and garages before jetting off. 

Nick Dutton, CEO of door hardware company Brisant-Secure, says: ‘While CCTV and burglar alarms alert you to someone breaching your property, we believe the best deterrents are the type that physically stop an intruder from getting in.’

Accordingly, he recommends a lock that thieves know they can’t snap and — putting his money where his mouth is — Brisant-Secure offers a £2,000 guarantee if they do.

 ‘Thieves soon learn what a secure lock looks like and try another property instead.’