It is not true that theft is happening only during night times in houses where no one is there. Now, the home burglary is happening even in daylight in homes with people. The thieves will be armed and the house owners will be helpless. The house will be burgled keeping the residents at knife point. This has happened in may parts of Chennai and also in other parts of the country. Homes without the presence of male members are targeted mostly. We can take some precautions to avoid theft in our homes.

Safety measures at homes : Even the thieves have admitted to the police men that every house will have at least one window open. This is the first attraction for the thieves. So take the following precautions in your home to avoid theft.


* Strengthen the exit doors of your homes. In most of the homes the front door will be strong and expensive. But many of us ignore the back doors of independent houses. Its locks and the door itself would be weak.

* Keep your gold and money at unexpected places only. Don't keep the keys under the pillow.

* Thieves can hide under the staircases, behind the cupboards and also under the cot. Keep the under part of the staircase close. Do not put space in between the cupboard and the walls. Do not put the bed spreads in a way that it touches the floor. There had been incidents in which the thieves made the bed spreads as their hide out.

* Try to avoid people who comes in to your house for palmistry or to buy old items. Keep a vigilant eye on them. When you are engaged in the selling of items, the people from the same group might do the theft. Do not allow strangers to get into your house to take old paper and bottles. This will help them understand the interior of the home.


* When women are alone at home, thieves can attack saying that they have been sent by their husband. Do not believe strangers.

* If there is any tree which can be used as a way to enter your house, cut the tree branches so that your house is safe from burglary. Precautions when building a new house

* In many houses, if four or five outer blocks are removed, then the theif can enter the house. Avoid this type of construction. So when you build the outer walls, place steel rods in between and build the blocks.

* Put the landline phone cables under the ground so that no one can see them from outside.

* Thieves might enter the home by removing the exhaust fans, ventillations and also by making small children enter the house through small openings. So do not fix exhaust fans which can be removed.

* Make use of Master Switches in homes so that if we switch on one switch all the lights will be on.

* Do not keep shovel or any other items like that out in the open. Thieves use these items to get into the house. Flats : Be careful with Strangers

We all believe flat system is much safer than independent houses. But some times this is not true. There had been burglaries pretending that the thieves are people known to your neighbours.

* Appoint security guards in the flats in shift basis. If there is only one security man, then the thieves may find it easy to enter the premises when the man goes out for having his food.

* The facility to telephone the house owner and asking permission to visit him will give more security. The house owner can allow people who he knows well.

* Have seperate operator for lift. If this facility is not available in your building, be very careful when women and children use lift alone.

* Use a common way to solve problems related to plumbing and electricity.

* Do not keep the terrace and other public spaces in the building open. Burglars can make them as their hide out.

* The sunshades in the flats should not be too close that one can jump from one shade to another.