The police warns people about this burglary method

You might already be aware of this technique: burglars ‘mark’ your home with an inconspicuous object to find out whether you’re home or not. Leaves in the mailbox, pieces of paper or cardboard between the doors or empty cans on the doormat: it’s all been done. Now the police is warning about a new technique that involves a piece of plastic.

Always check your doors.

Plastic in lock

Recently, this new burglary trick has gotten some attention and the police have taken notice. This is a popular trick among burglars because it can help them determine whether someone’s home or not. They place a small piece of plastic in the lock of your front door. If they come back and the plastic has been removed, somebody will probably be home. Is the piece piece of plastic still there after a couple of days? Then the owners are probably on holiday and the burglars know they’ve got all the time in the world to steal whatever they like.

Check

The police warns people about this technique and asks everyone to carefully check their locks. Don’t just check the front door, but also check your back door and any other doors that lead into your home. Are you going on holiday soon? Ask one of your neighbours to check your doors for any suspicious signs, like pieces of plastic, but also for more conspicuous stuff like things sticking out of the mailbox or things looking like trash on the doormat.

Holiday

It’s a smart move to ask somebody to mind your house when you’re away, even if you don’t have any pets or plants to take care of. Ask a neighbour to check the doors and to take the mail out of the mailbox and put it in a place out of sight from the outside. Also make sure you don’t leave any spare keys outside (in fact; never do this, even if you’re not on holiday). This way, you can go on holiday without having to worry.

Read more: Tip: always take a picture of your stove or cooker before you go on holiday

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Source: Politie Lelystad | Image: Pexels