With Christmas Day just around the corner and the festive season which will bring much joy and celebration, it also marks a peak time for burglaries. Unfortunately, thieves see Christmas differently as your hard-earned gifts are also their increased incentive to commit burglaries!

Dispose of gift packaging carefully. Refuse collections over the Christmas and New Year period are normally at different times. If you can't take packaging to a recycling centre, make sure you only put your rubbish out just before the collection and do your best to break apart/fold boxes inside-out so that they do not advertise the new contents of your home to thieves!

Be careful not to advertise your home to burglars on social media! According to one recent study, social media is a commonly used tool for scouting potential targets. Social media savvy families have a tendency to publish their whereabouts during the holiday season, including any vacation plans. This can let burglars know when your house is going to be empty. Uploaded photos of pricey Christmas gifts can also be a problem as if privacy settings aren't tied down, it can allow burglars to go shopping just by viewing your Facebook profile.

Away over Christmas – plan ahead! If you're going away at Christmas, be sure to cancel newspaper or milk subscriptions. Arrange for a neighbour to park on the driveway to help create the impression someone is home. Don't leave overly descriptive telephone answering machine messages and again make use of light timers. 

Don't hide keys and use alarms if you have them. Burglars know to look for hidden door keys so don't hide spare keys under rocks, in flowerpots, or above door ledges. Instead give the spare key to family or trusted neighbour.