Watching the home front

[attach]1731[/attach]Before Shoaib Quraishi and his family left for a wedding in New York, he made sure to go through a checklist of important things to do before the big day.

On that list: letting his neighbours know his family was leaving and asking them to look after their house while they were away.

“Because we were only leaving for four days, we didn’t expect much from them,” Quraishi said. “They had to pick up the newspapers and park their car in our driveway.”

The key to preventing crime while a family is away on vacation is to give off the illusion that someone is actually home, say Toronto Police.

“We asked (our neighbours) to do that because it shows presence at our house when we were not actually there,” Quraishi said. “And, to avoid people from peeking around and trying to find out if our house is empty and try to break in.”

He said he didn’t want his family to be a crime statistic.

“We heard a lot of stories of people breaking in because they find out the place is empty,” Quraishi said.

Friends of his who lived on the ground floor of a condominium that was easily accessible from the street were wiped out clean, he said.

The thieves — who were able to get in through the balcony door — even left behind a taunting note: “Thanks, lock your door next time.”

What you should do to keep your home safe

Eight tips to help you protect your home while you enjoy your vacation:

1) Stop mail and newspapers, or ask a neighbour to pick them up every day
2) Put several household lights on timers so they turn on and off at appropriate times
3) Arrange to have grass mowed or snow shoveled while you’re gone
4) Keep shades and blinds in their normal positions
5) Don’t forget to lock all doors and windows when you leave
6) Activate your home alarm if you have one
7) You might even leave a radio on, or put it on a timer
8) Ask your neighbour to park in your driveway overnight

Source: Toronto Police Service