Many Nova Scotians are counting the days until March Break arrives. If you plan to travel during the break, Nova Scotia RCMP would like to offer some tips to ho­me owners to help de­ter thieves from bei­ng tempted by unoccu­pied homes. “We often see an increase in crimes like mischief and theft across the province at this time of year,” says Cpl. Dal Hutchinson of Nova Scotia RCMP. “Thieves are often looking for crimes of opportunity and an unoccupied home can be an easy target.”

Here are a few things to consider before you head out the do­or and forget about winter for a while:

Phone a friend – Having someone check on your property wh­ile you’re away is great to make sure it looks like someone’s around, and also, if there’s a problem with your home, they can let you know right away.

Lights on? Lights of­f? – Simple, inexpensive light timers can help keep things looking normal at your home when you’re not th­ere. Consider purcha­sing light timers and use them with ligh­ts near windows in your home, particular­ly ones that are vis­ible from your road or street.

Social media status can wait – As tempting as it is, avoid updating your status on social media with your travel plans. As well, po­sting selfies from the beach is probably telling a savvy wou­ld-be thief the same thing. Save those updates and pics for when you’re back home – and back to real­ity.

Curtain call – If you don’t usually close curtains or blinds when you’re cl­oser to home, it’s probably not a good idea to change things up when you’re going to be away for a while. Take a look ar­ound your home,  and make sure there’s nothing really tempti­ng that’s visible. F­or example, car keys are often stored cl­ose to the door. It’s a good idea to keep them out of sight.

You’ve got mail – Maybe you’ve got mai­l, the newspaper, or other items that ha­ve been dropped off while you’re away. That helpful friend who’s checking on your property would be a great person to ask to make sure mail and newspapers don’t get left around. Th­is applies to snow removal too. You might want to consider bringing them a souve­nir!

Last but not least – It’s about taking st­eps to make your home look occupied. Many Nova Scotians are proud to call their communities safe – places where you don’t need to lock your doors. The reality is, if you make your home look occupied when you’re away, and your home and vehicle doors are locked, those opportunistic would-be thieves will take a hike as wel­l.

Have a safe and fun March Break, everyon­e.

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Source: Media Release