Northern Ontario is now firmly in the grip of cooler temperatures and wet weather conditions. The time has come for seasonal cottagers to put their properties to bed for the winter. It important for property owners to take a few extra minutes to consider the tasks that they can complete to make their cottages as theft resistant as possible when they close things up for the year.
Here are a few tips that may help:
- Take items of value home. If this is not possible place them out of view or lock them in a secure room or cabinet. If valuable items are not visible through a window and are locked up, they are less likely to be taken.
- Do not leave food or liquor in your cottage. In many break in incidents, liquor is one of the common items taken. If you decide to leave it in your cottage—once again store it out of sight.
- Make sure that all doors and windows are locked and secured when you leave. Do some extra work by installing theft prevention devices on your sliding patio doors and windows. Even a stick in the track to prevent the sliding door or window from opening will work in a pinch
- Close all your curtains and blinds so that thieves cannot see inside your cottage. If you don’t have curtains, use a blanket or sheet to cover the windows. Some cottagers even board their windows up in the fall. If they can’t see in, they may not try to get inside, especially if you have made your property secure from the outside.
- Install quality locks on your doors. A dead bolt is always a good idea. You can also strengthen your doors and door strikes by installing longer screws right into the wood frame. This will make it harder for someone to kick in the door. When locking up your outbuildings, once again quality tamper resistant locks and hasps are a good idea.
- Do not leave boats, ATV’s or other vehicles out in the open and unsecured. If you can, bring them home or lock them up in a garage and remove the keys. If you must leave them outside, lock them to a tree or some permanent structure. Drain the fuel tanks of these items so they can't be driven away.
- Take your unused fuel home. Do not leave gas cans at camp unless you plan to use it over the winter. This may be used to steal your ATV or sled. It also reduces the risk of a fire on your property.
- Tell your neighbours when you are closing up for the winter especially if you have permanent residents living close by. They can be your eyes and ears when you are not there. If your area has Neighbourhood Watch, advise the block captain when you are leaving for the winter.
- Use your security system if you have one. You can also purchase battery operated motion sensing alarms. It will not prevent entry to your camp-but it may scare them off or alert a neighbour to the thieves.
- If you have a gate—lock it up. This will prevent thieves from driving up to your cottage.
- If your cottage has hydro, turn it off unless you must keep your building heated. Turn off and winterize the water supply.
These are a few things that you can do when closing up your “piece of heaven” for the winter. Break and Enters are crimes of opportunity. Securing your property as best as you can may reduce the opportunities for the criminals. For more information check the crime prevention section on the OPP website at www.opp.ca
