How to avoid being burgled in France (and what to do if you are)


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Bury your bling



Jewelry is the most stolen item during burglaries in France, the country’s Crime Observatory reported. Next in line are electronics (31 percent) and then money (29 percent).



We’re not suggesting you tuck your TV under the bed every time you leave the house but do try to find a discreet hidey-hole for smaller belongings of value. Inside a smelly sock, perhaps?



Don’t blow your cover on social media



Seems like an obvious one, but how many of us share our holiday pics on social media while we’re still away from home? You may not have any potential burglars on Facebook but if you’re a regular Instagrammer and your profile isn’t private, every post of a piña colada on a far-away beach is bait for burglars. 





Photo: Adám Fedelin/Flickr



Don’t talk to strangers



Well, don’t tell anyone you don’t really know that you’re off on holiday. Especially if they know your address or can find out without too much effort.



Call the cops before the burglary, not after



French police have actually had a programme to clamp down on burglaries during holiday periods since 1974. Dubbed the Tranquillité Vacances (tranquil holidays) operation, it sees local authorities keep a watchful eye on anyone’s home while they’re away. That’s if residents notify them beforehand, of course.





Photo: AFP



Give your local police station a call, give them the dates you’ll be away and enjoy your holidays without a care in the world. Since it began, only 1 percent of homes registered on the Tranquillité Vacances scheme have been burgled.



Change your locks



If it hasn’t been long since your moved into your new pad, there’s little way of knowing if the previous tenants suffered a burglary, or worse still (wait for it), are burglars themselves.





Photo: Rachel Johnson/Flickr



Jokes aside; investing in a new set of locks and keys that only you and your family/housemates have is certainly wise, even if you’re only planning on being away from home for a few hours.



Don’t be naïve 



Having your address written on your house keys isn’t wise in this day and age. Nor is keeping an extra set tucked under the doormat or under a plant pot; that’s the oldest trick in the book and burglars will love you for it. 



If you live in a house don’t leave a ladder in the garden that thieves can use to climb in through a window with no lock upstairs. And don’t forget garden tools can take on a different use to break windows and force doors open.



Tattoo your stuff



Permanent marker the heck out of your belongings. It may deter burglars from taking it in the first place, or at the very least there’s much less of a chance they will be able to flog it if it’s “branded” as obviously not theirs.





Photo:Secuplus



If you find this approach a bit too rustic, know there are companies that specialize in producing unique identification numbers for your belongings, printed on small stickers that are superglued to your devices.



Do a Home Alone and pretend an adult is at home



No need to go gung ho with the booby traps à la Kevin McCallister, but why not scare burglars off with a living room light on a timer, or a loud TV or radio that switches on for a few hours every night?



via GIPHY



Thieves are constantly coming up with crafty ways to catch homeowners out – one of the latest tricks sees them stick a small twig in a door lock and retuning a few days later to see if it’s moved – so try planting a seed of doubt in their minds.



Nosey neighbours



If they can watch you hang your washing up in your underpants, they can keep tabs on what’s happening while you’re away. While they’re at it, give them your plants to water. So it





Photo: A Strakey/Flickr




Do you live in a break-in hotspot?



Just because your home is in a sleepy little corner of France doesn’t mean you’re living in an area with no burglars.



In fact, several successive reports by France’s National Crime and Justice Observatory point to higher break-in rates in départements that are on the outskirts of Paris, Marseilles, Lyon and Toulouse than in the actual cities themselves. 



Ile de France and the southern PACA region are France’s most targeted regions but many other areas of the country, both urban and rural, report alarming break-in rates. 



Find out here if your department is one of the most sought-after by burglars and make the necessary plans to prevent a break-in. 



READ ALSO: Where in France are you most (and least) likely to be burgled?




Article source: http://www.france24.com/en/20180506-macron-france-foreign-policy-one-year-trump-planet-great-again-eu-merkel


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