Are vandals breaking windows in your Sydney home or business premises? All it takes is one rock being thrown through a window for the entire family to be shaken up, and understandably. The same sentiment applies to businesses who are often the target of hoodlums.
In many cases there is no particular reason why your home is targeted. But in some instances, you probably already know why. If this happens to you, the first thing to do is call the police to notify them of what happened.
If you have teenagers who might have had a recent fall out with a friend or boyfriend/girlfriend you may want to sit down with them and have a chat about the incident to find out if they have any reason to suspect someone they know of doing this. Make it clear that they will not be in trouble for telling you, otherwise it’s likely they won’t open up.
If you want to ensure the glass around your home or business isn’t broken again, here are some expert tips to deter vandals:
1. Install security systems – Not only will the presence of the cctv systems deter further rocks or objects being thrown at your windows, but it will also ensure that if it does happen again, your video cameras will record it and you’ll have high quality HD video footage of the perpetrators to give to police.
2. Surveillance with a physical presence – If you are a business that has encountered several vandal attacks over a series of months or weeks, you may also want to hire a security guard to watch over the perimeters at night.
3. Have shatterproof glass installed if it isn’t already – If you are unsure of what glass is installed in your home or business, find out. Shatterproof glass is the preferred type of glass that should be used today, as it still holds together if broken by a thin plastic layer, making it far less dangerous.
4. Victim of broken windows – If you’ve been the victim of someone throwing something through your front window, unless you know who it is, you aren’t alone. Talk to your local police authority and ask for an increased presence in your area to wipe out crime.
5. Neighbourhood watch – Talk to your neighbours about what has happened. Ask them if they’ve seen or heard anything. Consider forming a neighbourhood watch and help each other protect your street from vandals.
6. Use thick curtains – Having thick curtains installed means that at night when you have them shut, if something does come through the window it will hit the fabric of the curtains and fall to the floor, stopping it from causing further damage in your home.
7. Have shutters installed – Some people believe that the best option for them is having metal shutters installed outside the windows of their home. Vandals aren’t going to attempt to throw something if they don’t think it will get through and even if they do throw a rock in an attempt to cause damage, you’ll probably just end up with a scratch on your metal shutter.
Video surveillance is the best weapon you can use against criminals. If you have the footage, you can help police make a conviction sooner.
