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Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

Prevention is better…: The burglar breaks the lock as silently as a scoop of ice cream can melt in one’s mouth and decamps.-

Thieves love summers. But policemen hate them.

Caught in this inversely proportional ‘love–hate’ feelings are the people. Literally. If winters force people to latch all doors and windows and double-check the bolts and locks in nights, caution is thrown to the winds during summers.

So we have people tired from the scorching heat rushing to terrace to sleep while enjoying the light breeze; given the holiday season, some may go on week-long vacations or some may prefer to sleep indoors, but keep the doors and windows open, just for some cool breeze to waft in and offer some reprieve from the heat.

Or it could simply be all family members sleeping in the air-conditioned master bedroom, while leaving the entire house empty in nights.

And here come the nimble fingered gentry, who can silently vault over the compound wall, tip-toe their way into the house or on to the staircase or break the lock as silently as a scoop of ice cream melts in one’s mouth and scoot with whatever they can lay their hands on. Then the bleary-eyed cops would distastefully run their eyes through screaming headlines next day – ‘Burglars target rows of houses; Valuables lost’.

The art of burglary may sound very simple, but the art of catching a burglar is not so easy, any policeman would vouch for that. But there are some simple tips, which people can use to make the prospective burglar twiddle his thumbs, throw up his hands in despair and take to heels without laying hands on any valuables in your home. So simple that one need not lose his sleep to keep the burglar away.

•Have solid gates and compound walls. Fix broken glass pieces on compound walls.

Intruding into someone’s house with bleeding hands is least interesting for a burglar.

Ensure rear doors are strong. If possible get iron cross-bars fixed.

Have locks on the front doors at top and bottom. Two locks are better than one.

•Fix solid and closely built irons grills at all windows.

Spare key is meant to be kept on person. Not hidden above the door frame, in the window sill, or underneath the doormat. Thieves know where to look for.

•Exhaust fan vents or large ventilators, skylights, bathroom windows provide the safe entry points for burglars. They can slither through if the gap is just larger than a human head. Secure them with iron grills.

•Never leave a garage door unlocked especially if it has a connecting door to the house. A thief would find the tools in garage to break open the door.

•Almirah keys are to be hidden carefully - not under the pillows, not on top of the almirah, not in the dressing table drawers. Think of unconventional places, but remember where you hid them.

•If you have a backyard, it pays to have raised compound wall and don’t forget the glass pieces again.

•Don’t be stingly about power bills. Have the surroundings properly lit.

•Up your antennae, if you notice strangers loitering in streets. It’s better to call police.

•If you are going out on a holiday, ask neighbours / police to keep a watch on the house.

•Ask paper boy / milkman to stop supply. Piled up newspapers or milk sachets not only indicate no one is home, but also help burglars to ransack the house leisurely – sipping a hot cup of tea, while catching up with news.

•Install burglar alarms or other security gadgets.

Dacoits generally disconnect the telephone lines before barging in.

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