Home Heating Oil Theft Prevention & Home Security Measures

Home Heating Oil Tank & General Home Security Measures

1. The location of your oil tank. The position of the tank can have a significant effect on how a thief views how hard a target is. Place the tank as close to the house as regulations allow and in view of one or more windows. This may make the thief consider the chance of being seen too high to risk
2. Is your oil tank visible to passers-by? Consider growing a hedge around your oil tank to conceal the tank from passers-by. Thorny scrubs and hedges can be a great deterrent if an intruder in in a rush.
3. A lock: A good quality closed shackle padlock fitted to the tank opening should be your starting point.
4. Oil level gauges: Remote electronic oil level gauges are available which will set off an audible alarm if there is a dramatic drop in oil levels, similar to what would happen if there were a leak or theft, and alerts the receiver unit. There are units on the market to-day that will even send a text alert to your mobile phone.
5. Installing CCTV may sound extreme. However, small infra-red cameras are fairly cheap these days. A covert camera to record the number plates of any cars or vans entering your driveway could help. It may not stop thieves but could help trace them later. Placing a highly visible camera on your property may act as a deterrent to thieves, especially in areas where natural surveillance is scarce.
6. Get to know your neighbours.  A nosey neighbour is often enough to scare away a potential intruder, with prying eyes enough to ward off the possible threat of intrusion. We would recommend getting to know your neighbours and asking them to keep an eye out for strangers around your home and property.  
7. Install a burglar alarm. Research has found that homes without a burglar alarm can be almost three times more likely to be burgled. Intruders are deterred by the possibility of audible burglar alarms drawing attention to their intrusion attempts. A monitored home alarm provides further security features such immediate contact in the case of a security breach causing alarm activation. Monitored alarms can also monitor smoke and carbon monoxide providing additional peace of mind in many ways. To ensure that your burglar alarm works as a preventative tool make sure it is visible to potential intruders.
8. Get a dog. A dog can be a great deterrent to any intruder. Intimidating dogs such as Rottweilers or Dobermans will certainly have a potential burglar rethink breaking into your property; however any size dog that will bark and draw attention to an intruder can act as a strong deterrent.     
9. Keep your property well lit. Motion activated lighting can provide an additional layer of security. Motion sensor that active lights around entry point at your property and home eliminate the cover of darkness for burglars. Motion activated lighting can notify yourself or your neighbours to suspicious activity. A timer switch for indoor and outdoor lighting can also add to security when your house is unoccupied.
10. Be careful who you allow into your home. Never give a key to unfamiliar service people who may be carrying out work on your home or property. If you have contractors, repairmen or so forth working in your home or on your property check all doors, windows and gates to insure that they are securely as you left them. Intruders disguised as service providers can often unlock access points to your home or property and come back later to burgler.
11. Watch what you put out for refuse collection. If you have made any substantial appliance purchases ensure you cut the cardboard boxes up. If the boxes are clearly visible to passers-by you are opening  informing potential intruder of your new purchasing.
12. Maintain refuse collection routines when on holiday. Try to maintain routines around your house and property where possible while you are on holiday. This can be done by asking a neighbour to take you refuse bins out and bring them back in once refuse collected.
13. Consider hiring a dog walker when on holiday. If you have a dogs consider hiring a dog walk to feed and walk the dog rather than placing the dog in kennels the dog itself will act as a deterrent and if someone has been recording movements at your property the absents of a dog will definitely be noted.
14. Don’t let mail build up while you are on holiday. Ask a neighbour to collect your post and place it somewhere out of sight. Don’t have them stack the post on the table where it is clearly visible to someone looking through the kitchen window. An intruder might be alerted to your absence by the build-up of mail inside a letter box, through glass at a front or with in a porch.
15. Limiting access to your house. By planting thorny scrubs and flowers near windows you can limit the ease of accessibility to your house.
16. Make sure garage, shed and property gates and fully secured after every use and when you are leaving the house. Purchase more secure locks if necessary.
17. If you own any power-tools or expensive gardening equipment garden make sure they are securely stored out of sight.
18. Do not leave valuables in sight either use a security safe for all your valuables or deposit them in a bank.
19. Keep a list of emergency telephone numbers either stored in your mobile or near your home phone.
20. Never leave a note on your front door to say that you will “be back in a few”. Also never ask delivery companies to drop a delivery at your door if you are not there to accept it.
21. Imagine you have locked yourself out - how easy could you break in? Fix any weaknesses that can allow an easy entry for the burglar.
22. In relation to the prevention of commercial heating oil or agridiesel theft include fencing the property; fencing the tanks; alarming the area; monitored CCTV; security lighting; using anti-siphoning devices on the filler tubes of storage tanks; shutting off power to the pumps during non-operating hours; establishing and maintaining a fuel inventory system to help deter employee theft.

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