Holiday Burglary in St Kilda – an over full mailbox

If you are going away on a holiday, it’s a good idea to get someone to collect your mail, cancel paper deliveries etc.  Why? An overflowing mailbox is a red flag to a would-be bugler that no one is home and has not been / will not be for some time.

We attended a break-in at St Kilda recently where the owners had only been away for a week and still got burgled… likely because of an overfull mailbox. They reasoned that their huge, lockable mailbox could easily hold all their mail for a week and no need to trouble the neighbours to come and collect it.  Besides, they were going away with their neighbours so there wouldn’t be anyone there to collect their mail anyway.  They took their main car, and left their small town car locked in the garage.

The problem with this plan was they didn’t count on the huge amount of junk mail that always arrives just before Christmas which clogged their large mailbox.  Best laid plans….

If you are going away during the holiday season we at Toplock recommend you:-

1. Get someone to collect your mail.
2. If you can’t get someone to collect your mail put a “no junk mail” sign on your letterbox and divert your regular mail to a post office box.  They are affordable and your post office will keep your mail for several weeks if you advise them you will be away.
3. Get some programmable plugin power controllers so you can randomly turn on some lights and appliances whilst you are away.
4. If possible, get a neighbor to park their spare care in your driveway to make it look like someone is home.  Some burglars will only target houses with no car in the driveway.  We don’t recommend you leave a valuable care in the driveway—it would be terrible to come home to a hailstorm damaged car after a holiday!
5. Check that all your doors and windows are securely locked before you leave.  You’d be surprised how many people come home to find the back door left wide open.
6. Resist the temptation to tell one and all on Facebook or Twitter you are going away.  Thieves have Facebook too.  Twitter is even worse as its much easier to follow anyone.  Sure… share the photos of your holiday on Facebook when you return… but keep it quiet till then.
7. Consider getting a house sitter if you are going to be away for more than two weeks