With the summer upon us, it is likely that we will be out of our properties for longer than at any other time of year. Unfortunately, this is good news for opportunist burglars.

Surrey Police have issued a reminder of the risks and given some key burglary prevention tips to guide us through the coming months:

Lock windows and doors when leaving home, even for a short while. If you don’t and you get burgled, your home insurance could be invalidated because you left your home insecure.

If you have windows open at any time of the day or night due to high temperatures, make sure your keys and valuables aren’t within sight or reach of those windows.

How much do you share online? Think about how public your profile is before posting your holiday highlight reels when you’re away from home. How well do you know the people who follow you, and how much do you really want them to know? Up your security settings and enjoy a summer holiday social media detox.

Doing a spot of DIY? Lock away ladders and tools after use so they can’t be stolen or used to break into your home.

Good neighbours are worth their weight in gold. If you like and trust your neighbour, ask them to keep an eye on your home and pop round on a regular basis to water plants and take in deliveries and post.

Even the smallest pieces of evidence can help police build a bigger intelligence picture. If you have CCTV footage or images of suspicious behaviour that you think police should know about, submit it to be reviewed through their suspicious activity portal at https://www.surrey.police.uk/police-forces/surrey-police/areas/campaigns/suspicious-activity-portal/

You can report a burglary online at https://www.surrey.police.uk/burglary

In an emergency, always call 999.