It takes just seven seconds for a professional burglar to decide whether your home is an easy target or not, and once inside they know exactly what they’re looking for. But there are some simple security measures you can take inside your home to put burglars off.

Your doors and windows are the easiest entrance points for a burglar, so make these as secure as possible. Fit strong locks – ideally deadlocks on doors – and a security chain to make entry more difficult. These should be closed and locked every time you leave the house, even if you’re just popping out.

Sliding glass doors can be secured with a metal bar or wooden dowel placed in the door track, and all ground floor and basement windows should be closed and locked. If replacing old windows, think about UPVC which are more difficult to smash.

Doors can also provide access to keys. It’s important to remove keys from locks and place them away from doors and windows, as letterboxes can be used to ‘fish’ for keys or open doors from inside. The same goes for pet flaps.

For valuables kept inside the home it’s a good idea to use a security pen to mark them with your postcode. This makes it easier to return stolen items back to you if recovered. You might also want to think about writing an inventory of your belongings and put important documents and valuables in a safe place.

Lighting up your home, especially when nobody is home, is a good idea as it’s an easy and very cost-effective measure to help prevent burglary. You can even set timer switches which give the impression that a home is occupied even when it’s not.

Take extra care when going away. For example, don’t leave a note in the milk bottle telling your milkman you’re going on holiday – it’s not just him you’ll be telling. And ensure your letterbox is not overfilled as this is another giveaway that no one’s home.

A final way to improve the security inside your home is by investing in a monitored alarm system. This is an effective deterrent as it shows burglars that your property is always being watched and there’s always someone on hand immediately should your alarm go off.