With Christmas fast approaching and the likelihood that you have more high value items at home, and shops have increased stock to cater for the festive season, this is a time for added vigilance and ensuring security systems are effective. Criminals are unfortunately hoping to cash in on the demand for goods, while burglars can be helped by the longer nights and shorter days in winter.
Home and business owners should ensure that the intruder alarm, security cameras and lights are all functioning properly so that their properties are protected. There are simple steps they can take to protect their home and businesses. Making sure all the doors, windows and outside gates are locked when the property is empty is the most important step of all. Security lights that come on when people approach will also deter burglars as they are no longer breaking in under the cover of darkness.
If you are going out for the day, or if you are away overnight, over the Christmas period homeowners can also have lamps plugged in with timers so that they go on and off so that thieves do not realise the house is empty. Valuable items should also be stored away from windows. Empty boxes that contained deliveries should not be visible either as this could lead thieves to suspect there are expensive items inside the property.
Having a reliable intruder alarm system that has internal sensors that cover entry and exit points into the property can help improve security. There are also now external detectors available that can protect the perimeter of your property. Modern alarm systems that send alerts to an app, should the system be triggered, mean you can manage the alarm wherever you are. For commercial properties, a monitored system is essential to ensure you get timely notifications from an alarm receiving centre (ARC), and you are properly insured.
If you have a large property ensuring that you have cameras that can capture the movement of people and vehicles around your site at night is important if you want to be completely confident about security in winter. The right cameras could also protect the perimeter of your property where there may be hedges or foliage.
Police Forces step up patrols this Christmas
Meanwhile the police forces that cover Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas have also recognised the particular risks from crime posed at this time of year. Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Police are all taking part in this year’s Winter of Action aimed at keeping communities safe over the busy Christmas period. The government said police will use hotspot patrols, quick visible enforcement, and locally tailored approaches, working closely with businesses and community groups to clamp down on shop theft and street crime across hundreds of town centres.
This followed a similar campaign earlier in the year, the Safer Streets summer initiative. The government said this took place in almost 650 town centres and resulted in over 16,000 arrests and fines, mostly for shop theft and anti-social behaviour. Targeted visible patrols also increased by almost 20% this summer compared to the previous year, largely in town centres. Additionally, the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee has meant that from July there are named, contactable officers in every community, increased peak time patrols in town centres and anti-social behaviour leads in every force. From spring next year there will be 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles.
Paul Gerrard, Director of campaigns, public affairs and policy, at the Co-op, said: “Co-op is focussed on British high streets, and welcomes a nationwide crackdown on retail crime this winter, as we are confident the tide of criminality can be turned and have seen crime levels decline in the Co-op during 2025. But this must be just the start.
“We continue to invest significantly in wide-ranging safety and security measures, and we need police to continue to attend more often and government to maintain the focus they have on the issue.”
How we can support you throughout the year
The security and monitoring solutions offered by Security Group can support homeowners, as well as small businesses, including retailers, in Bristol, Bath Clevedon, Portishead, Chepstow, Trowbridge the Forest of Dean, and the south Cotswolds at Christmas and all year round. This includes intruder alarms, easy to manage cloud-based CCTV, and access control systems that give business owners peace of mind. The systems can be managed remotely through apps installed on mobile devices and include the latest software features, such as video analytics. It also means you can easily monitor your commercial and residential properties within the online platforms.
The advanced software of both the on-premise and cloud-based systems can provide accurate real-time alerts and evidence if police investigate a crime. If you are a business or home owner looking to strengthen your crime prevention measures, or would like to ensure you are fully insured, then get in touch.
