More likely to be burglarized in dark days?

Now that the evenings are long and dark again, this can make you feel uncomfortable. How can you increase your own sense of security?

With winter time entering at the end of October, the days are slowly getting shorter. Some people enjoy having very long evenings; others can't wait until the end of March for summer time to kick in. The long dark evenings are, in some cases, accompanied by feeling unsafe. Do you or do you not open the door in the evening when the doorbell rings? Is the chance of a burglary actually higher in the winter months?

Do you need to worry about your safety during the winter months?

Figures do not show that the streets are more unsafe during this period. However, the chance of a burglary is slightly higher and especially during the holidays when many people go to visit family and friends.
Two types of safety are distinguished. Objective safety is how actual safety is. Subjective security is how security is perceived. In the ideal situation, objective and subjective safety would be about equal. On the contrary, the difference between these two types of safety can be very large.

Your sense of safety may be diminished by negative past experiences or reports of thefts and robberies. Especially when this happens in your immediate neighborhood. If the crime rate in your neighborhood is low, your sense of security will increase. This is where a good relationship with your neighbors can help. A good example where people get a safer feeling is participation in a neighborhood app. This way, people feel connected to people in the neighborhood and neighbors are a lot more alert to burglary signals.

Increasing your sense of safety

You can increase your own sense of security by:

• Always check who is at the door before opening it.
• Being in touch with acquaintances ahead of time, so you know they will ring your doorbell in the evening.
• Doing burglary prevention

In addition, it is important that you consider unusual circumstances. For example, if the doorbell rings at 10:30 at night, that is unusual.
You can also choose not to open the door at night during the winter months, unless you have made an appointment and know who is at the door.
Furthermore, you should teach yourself to always lock the front door, even if you only leave for a short time.

What to do in case of burglary?

By preventing burglary, you can greatly reduce the chances of a break-in. If your home is broken into despite this, always report it to the police immediately. In addition, take immediate measures to prevent the next break-in. This is especially important if a window or door can no longer be closed due to the burglary. Also report a burglary to the insurance company and discuss what you should do.

It is important to properly insure your contents so that you will be compensated for the damage after a burglary or theft.
There are different types of coverage for contents insurance.

Burglary damage to your home is not covered with contents insurance. For this, you need to take out building insurance.