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Burglary - the cost
- Financial: Each year about HK $400 million worth of property is stolen during burglaries.
- Psychological: Your home will be violated and property of sentimental value stolen or damaged.
- Inconvenience: Considerable time, cost and effort will be required to repair the damage and loss caused by the burglary.
Simple precautions
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Doors:
- Fit the door with at least one good quality thief-resistant lock bought from a reputable company; and
- For added protection, fit a high quality door guard or door chain and a wide angle viewer. Hollow wooden doors should not be used.
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Door Drill:
- Check all callers through your door viewer:
- Ensure the door chain is on before opening the door:
- Make the callers identify themselves;
- Open the door only when you're sure it's safe; and
- If in doubt, keep them out.
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Windows:
- Fit quality locks that are suitable for your windows;
- A criminal can break a window and open it from the inside. If a window lock is fitted, this will not be possible;
- If you want to leave your windows open, you should install window grilles; and
- Ensure that the window grilles are securely fastened into the surrounding masonry.
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Balconies:
- Make sure that the balcony door cannot be opened from the outside; and
- Locks are available for sliding balcony doors and are easy to install.
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Personal Property
- Ideally, valuable items of property or large amounts of cash should not be kept in the home. If you insist on doing so, please use a high quality safe (secured in place by internal bolts) to store these items;
- Consider marking your valuable property using permanent etching, invisible UV pen, or other available means. Use your Personal Identification Number to identify property as belonging to you;
- Record important details of your valuable property and keep original receipts if possible. Take photographs of the property from different angles. For smaller items place a ruler alongside to indicate scale;
- The above information may assist Police in recovering your property in the unlikely event it is stolen, but may also help you to make a later claim on your insurance. Click here for a sample property inventory form; and
- Keep your completed property inventory form, receipts and photographs in a safe place, preferably at a second location away from your home.
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