Property and crime prevention:

Robert from Bryndwr

If you're going away, don't forget to hide or make secure locking up ladders and garden tools. Ladders left outside are a gift to crims to get into your residence. Avoid leaving garden tools, the long handled ones or robust implements outside. They can be used as levers to force open locked windows and doors.

Buy a time switch from one of the big hardware retailers and that can be used to switch on bed lamps, coffee table lamps or house lights at various times during the night in your absence. Time switches, when not being used to switch on lights to deter burglars, can also be used to switch on an electric blanket at a set time before you retire in the winter months to have your bed nice and warm. They will also switch the electric blanket off in the morning at a pre-selected time.

Many, but not all, property entry and burglaries are drug related for addicts to raise money to support their habit.

Lock or padlock all side entry gates or driveways. Breaking into a house is safer and less obvious from the view if at rear entrances and out of the view of passing traffic and pedestrians. Also, when removing any bulkier goods (TV's etc) from a property, it's harder to get them off the property if all big gates and on driveways are locked as a barrier to entry and removal.

We/ve just installed an Infra Red (for recording nighttime pictures) and a recording colour camera as well as a personal intrusion alarms that make a helluva 100db screech if they detect any movement on the property. Set them up at an angle so that the neighborhood cat's infrared body heat, passing pedestrians or passing vehicular traffic won't set them off.
Try www.ebay.com... or aliexpress.com because they sell 'em very cheap! Some outdoor security cameras (etc) work off solar power and don't need battery replacements/charges or mains power.

I have a colour and nighttime photos/daytime outdoor security camera installed that automatically sends surveillance pictures to my 4G cellphone when it detects movement. I can receive those photos recorded on my phone no matter where I am around the world or in the city. Some other models of security cameras talk and record directly to the internet and to the 'cloud.' They communicate using simple WiFI technology.
Regards, Robert. Email: zl2rob at xtra.co.nz (change the 'at to a @).