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Over the last few months, there has been a dramatic increase of thefts.
President of Steinbach Security Services Brian Brunelle suspects this is due to the rising costs of food and fuel.
He says it is extremely important to have your door locked at all times and to only answer the door for people you recognize.
"The most important advice I can offer being a former police officer and the security professional with nearly 30 years of experience: do not open your door to people you don't know.”
Along with the increase of thefts, home invasions are also becoming more frequent.
"I've heard stories even from my own family members, where they've actually witnessed somebody on drugs early in the afternoon trying to get into someone's house through the front door and ringing the doorbell,” he says. “And eventually police came down and arrested that person.”
He cautions people to be aware that theft can happen at any time, even in broad daylight.
"Times have changed. We need to be more observant. We need to be more alert.”
Brunelle says to be wary of people under the influence of drugs as they are not in a proper mindset. Do not risk injuring or your life confronting anybody.
Instead, you should call 911 and let the police handle the situation. Jeopardizing yourself for your property is the worst thing you can do.
“Don't confront people, it's just not worth it. Property is property, it can be replaced.”
Brunelle notes that being in communication with your neighbours is a great way to stay aware and alert.
It’s a good idea to get the cell phone and landline numbers of your neighbours and keep in communication regarding suspicious activity.
"Watch not only your yard, but watch their yard as well. If someone’s going to be breaking into your neighbour’s property, there is a very good chance they're coming to break into your property.”
It's important to communicate with your neighbors, and agree to call each other when you sense something is off.
“If someone sees something suspicious and they think there's something going wrong, their spidey senses are tingling, there's a good chance that person shouldn't be there.”
He gives a list of tips on how to make your yard and house less desirable to steal from.
First and foremost is to keep all doors locked at all times, during both day and night. This means your residence, your vehicle, your garage, your shed, and anything else you can think of.
Plus, if you have a garage, keep your vehicles parked inside your garage to prevent fuel theft and break-ins, or at least remove your garage door openers from your vehicles.
“Garage door openers from your vehicle should be removed, especially if you're parking your vehicle outside for the evening,” he says. “This gives thieves access to your garage and possibly into your residence if you leave those remotes inside your vehicle.”
He also says to keep expensive items such as bicycles, ATV’s, snowmobiles, and lawnmowers out of your yard and stored inside your garage or shed.
“This is like leaving cash in plain view just sitting there.”
Another tip is to keep dark areas well-lit at night. Motion sensors should be out of reach and checked on a regular basis to ensure that they are functioning properly.
“If you have trees and shrubs that are close to entranceways to your residence, garage, or sheds, cut them back. Don't provide easy access in the dark for break-ins.”
He also says many people don’t know that most outdoor surveillance cameras freeze up. They often stop working at temperatures below -25°C.
If you are going to use outside security cameras, he suggests buying ones that have a heat option, are high definition, and can record at night.
"The best cameras in my opinion are probably the doorbell cameras, which work very well to cover area in front of the residence.”
Stephen Rooke, Owner of S&S Security Systems, notes that the most common type of theft is spontaneous or unplanned theft.
When thieves see something in plain sight, they are more likely to steal from that property by impulse.
“You'll have people riding their bikes or walking down back lanes and they'll come across something that looks appealing and they'll take it,” he says. “Historically, thieves tend to be sort of lazy. You know, if it's easy to grab, they'll take it. If it becomes much too much work, they won't.”
He also says motion lighting can spook thieves and can deter them from coming in. You can also get a wireless motion detector to put in your shed or yard and it will alert you in your house when somebody is coming into the shed.
Rooke says that a lot of people are getting their sheds broken into, and a lot of these sheds aren’t locked.
"Make sure your shed is locked and if your yard has a fence around it, make sure your gate is locked so they just can't flip the latch and walk in."