Five Simple Ways to Prevent Letterbox Burglary
As a homeowner, you’re likely already aware of how important it is to keep your front door closed and locked at all times to keep your family and home safe. Investing in high-quality door locks for your home is extremely important – but the locks aren’t the only thing that should be a priority. While a strong door and reliable locks are the most obvious and important solutions when it comes to securing your front door, it’s important that you don’t forget about your letterbox too.
Unfortunately, there are a number of burglars and criminals who target letterboxes and use them to access properties. While a letterbox is an essential component of many houses (after all, they allow us to receive our post easily and quickly), it could be putting your home at risk if you haven’t secured it as efficiently as possible.
Below, we’ve put together a list of our top tips to protect your home against letterbox crime and ensure you don’t fall victim to a letterbox burglary.
What is letterbox crime?
Firstly, let’s take a quick look at what letterbox crime actually is. Letterbox burglary is when a burglar uses a letterbox on a front door to either break into a property or to steal the keys inside (this could be to steal the car parked outside the property or to access the house). Generally, the burglar will either use their hand to push through the letterbox and reach up to unlock the door from inside the house, or they may use a fishing rod gadget with a hook on the end to ‘fish’ for keys left near the door.
How to prevent letterbox burglary
Here are our top tips for preventing letterbox crime.
Don’t leave your keys in plain sight
This may sound obvious, but it’s important that you don’t leave your keys in plain sight, especially if you have a front door with glazed panels or windows. Most burglars and intruders are opportunists; you want to make sure that they don’t spot your keys through your door or window when they’re walking around your neighbourhood as this only provides them with easy access to your home.
Instead, you should have a special place to keep your keys in your home that is away from the front door and out of sight. We also recommend avoiding using key racks to store all of your keys as these can be all too easy for criminals to find should they ever gain access to your property.
Install key-operated locks
If you have a letterbox, it’s best to install locks that are operated by keys. Locks that operate by turning a thumb piece can be especially vulnerable to letterbox crime; thieves and burglars can come up with intricate contraptions to reach through the letterbox flap and turn the thumb piece to unlock the door.
Replacing your current locks with key-operated locks will give you peace of mind that you and your family are safe from letterbox crime, and will ensure no burglar can ever access your home through your own locks.
Replace your letterbox for one with a draught excluder
Today, many letterboxes have a brush inside. While the original purpose of the brush is to stop warm air from escaping your home and to prevent cold air from getting in, the rows of nylon bristles can also enhance your safety too. The brush inside a letterbox helps to prevent burglars from seeing through the gap in your letterbox and into your home, ensuring they can’t spot any stray keys or items that could help them gain access to your property. If they can’t see anything worth stealing, there’s a good chance they’ll look elsewhere.
If your current letterbox doesn’t have a draught excluder, we recommend replacing it for one with an internal brush to obstruct the view into your property.
Install a letterbox restrictor
A letterbox restrictor works by restricting how much the inner flap of your letterbox can open. This helps to stop thieves from pushing their hands through your letterbox to search for keys or to open the flap, and it also stops them from pushing through any rods or other gadgets to gain access to your property. Installing a letterbox restrictor can give you peace of mind that your property is safe.
Alternatively, consider installing a mail cage. A mail cage can be handy for two reasons. Firstly, it will collect all of your post and keep your hallway or entryway tidy. Secondly, a mail cage makes it far more difficult for thieves to use their gadgets to tamper with your locks. A mail cage can also help to obstruct the burglar’s view and keep your property safe.
Get rid of your letterbox altogether
If you want to eliminate the risk of letterbox crime entirely, consider removing your letterbox altogether and installing an external mailbox instead. Getting rid of your letterbox means there’s one less way for someone to gain access to your property, and you’ll still be able to receive your post without the worry of someone snooping through your letterbox. Standalone mail boxes are a great alternative and will ensure you can receive your post as normal.
If you’re replacing your front door soon or you’ve been thinking about it for a while, consider choosing a door that has no letterbox at all. A new front door installation is the perfect opportunity to upgrade your door to a safer one.
Quick tips for preventing letterbox crime
Here are a few additional quick tips to help ensure that your home stays protected and letterbox crime is prevented.
- Don’t let door leaflets build up. Whenever leaflets, menus, newspapers, newsletters or posters get put through your letterbox, make sure you take them away. A buildup of leaflets in a property can be a visual indication to burglars that no one is at your home.
- Opt for an anti-vandal, anti-snap uPVC letterbox. If you do want a letterbox or you’re upgrading your current one, opt for an anti-vandal, anti-snap secured by design uPVC letterbox.
- Talk to your neighbours. If you’re concerned about crime in your area, it’s a good idea to have a chat with your neighbours. Not only will talking to your neighbours give you some peace of mind that other people on your street are staying vigilant too, but it will also ensure you can all keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour when others are out. Having an extra pair of eyes can make all the difference.
Campbell & McGovern: Your Security Experts and Trusted Locksmiths in Liverpool
At Campbell & McGovern, we know just how important it is to keep on top of all areas of your home security. Unfortunately, thieves and burglars are always looking for new ways to gain access to properties – but with our help, you can keep your home safe and protected. Our experienced and skilled team provide extensive security and locksmith services in Liverpool, serving customers in Bootle and beyond.
Whether you’re looking for long term security solutions to improve the safety of your home or business or you’ve found yourself locked out of your own home, we’re the company to call. Our local locksmiths are always on hand to help; from anti-snap locks for your home to extensive security systems, we’ve got you covered.
Visit our website for more information.
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