The holidays are approaching…

02/06/2019

…and many of us leave our homes to travel to other places. During these periods, thieves take advantage to carry out robberies and petty thefts that can ruin our return from vacation.

At Imsel, we care about your physical safety and that of your family. Therefore, to avoid unpleasant surprises and problems , we provide you with the following advice:

Checks

Check that your security system is working properly and that you have locked all entrances to the house. It’s also a good idea to run a test before leaving and verify that your alarm is functioning correctly.

Discretion

It’s advisable not to announce that you’re going on vacation, and especially to be particularly careful with social media . Simple status updates announcing a vacation, combined with active geolocation, can easily lead to a home burglary.

We’re home

Avoid leaving any signs of an unoccupied home. It’s best not to give away that you’re not home . The simplest methods include: having someone you trust collect your mail, not closing all the blinds, leaving laundry hanging out to dry, lights on, etc. There are electronic devices that can be programmed to turn on lights, TVs, or other appliances.

…and also…

Leave valuables in a safe place .

Do not leave messages on the answering machine that might indicate you are away. You can leave call forwarding activated or leave the answering machine with your usual message.

But what do we do if…

… upon returning from vacation we noticed that the door frame had been tampered with, a window was broken, or there was something else strange or unusual?

The most prudent thing to do in these cases is to immediately call the police from your mobile phone or, failing that, from a neighbor’s house and provide the address and a contact phone number.
If upon entering the home we realize that we have been robbed, it is important to remain calm , not touch anything and immediately call the police, who will tell us the steps to follow and carry out the relevant investigations.

IN THE EVENT OF ANY CRIMINAL ACT, LET’S FILE A REPORT:
To file a complaint, you only need to go to the Citizen Service Offices of the Mossos d’Esquadra , taking with you your personal identification document and a list of the items that have been stolen from you with as much information about them as possible.

Ultimately, any precaution, including the smallest details, can prevent major surprises both during and after your vacation. And if you have been the victim of any kind of theft, it’s best to report it as soon as possible.