How to keep the bad guys away while you’re on holiday
Keeping your home safe while travelling can sometimes be as simple as leaving a light on and being better friends with your neighbours, experts suggest.
Cameras and sensors have made home security higher tech but some of the best ways to ensure your property is secure would be through tried-and-true methods like creating the illusion that you are home.
Make people think you never left
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The first , and most important step, in deterring potential thieves isn’t necessarily with a security camera, but by making them think you’re still home.
Mt Albert Neighbourhood Support Activator Tahi Mapp-Borren said keeping lights on, opening a few curtains and even getting a neighbour to park their car in your driveway goes a long way.
"Have someone collect your mail if you can, leave your key with a trusted neighbour rather than in some obvious place, have a little security check of your property before you go, maybe leave a bit of washing out on the line,” she said.
Mapp-Borren's own next-door neighbour, James McDonald, was a part-time musician who travelled frequently to perform. He had developed a solid system to ensure his unit was as secure while he was away.
“I keep the main blind down because if you were to kind of walk up to my front door and that window was open, you'd see that there's a TV right there... the top room I don't bother with the blind down” he said.
He also started renting his home on Airbnb when he’s away - it made him some extra money while keeping his house occupied and therefore less of a target to potential thieves.
“In a way, it feels safer than if it was totally unoccupied for three weeks or four weeks.”
Mapp-Borren also urged people to resist posting about their trips on social media until after they return, so as not to draw attention to the fact that they are not home.
Get to know your neighbours
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To create a sustainable and ongoing sense of safety in your home, Mapp-Borren emphasised the importance of building connections with neighbours.
“You don't have to be best friends, but you get a sense of each other so that you can just at that point of holiday or summer go, actually I do trust these people who are living next to me as neighbours and I feel comfortable about letting them know just to keep a wee eye on the place.”
McDonald had built a strong relationship with Mapp-Borren and her family, something that made him feel safer while travelling.
“I'm always in touch with Tahi because her family is so close, just in terms of location that, by default they would see if someone was around my place that maybe shouldn't be,” he said.
For additional peace of mind he also set up an alarm system and put a surveillance camera near the front door.
Do security cameras really work?
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Criminology Lecturer at the University of Auckland Dr Ronald Kramer said cameras can be hit or miss and in some cases, they can even have a reverse effect.
“Sometimes if people see a camera, they might reason that there's actually something worth stealing in there.”
He said a significant amount of home burglary is done by people who are desperate and may not be deterred by a camera, but more motivated thieves might look for an easier target with less visible security.
“If people are thinking it [security cameras] is the magic bullet to kind of stop your house from being burgled, that is probably not the case,” Kramer said.
“It'll deter some people, some types of offenders, but not all of them.”
While cameras may not deter thieves, however, they could help catch them, he pointed out.
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Poll: 🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Aucklanders, our weekly rubbish collections are staying after councillors voted to scrap a proposed trial of fortnightly pick-ups.
We want to hear from you: would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Keen for the details? Read up about the scrapped collection trial here.
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82.5% Same!
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17.5% Would have liked to try something different
7 tips for buying your Christmas ham
It’s the centerpiece of the Christmas table, so when you’re peering into the supermarket chiller or ordering from the butcher, choosing the perfect ham can feel like a daunting task.
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing one to bring home with you.
1. What type of ham to buy
You’ve got some decisions to make when it comes to the type of Christmas ham you’re going to buy.
Cooked on the bone (COB) ham is the traditional Christmas ham. If you’re buying a half ham, you’ll have the choice of the shank or fillet end. The shank is the part with the bone sticking out that gives the ham that traditional look. The fillet end is the round part that gives more meat. If you’re deciding whether to get a whole ham or half, consider how quickly you’ll be able to eat it all. You only have about a week to eat an opened ham before it will go off, so it can be a good idea to get two halves. That way you can eat one half during the week of Christmas and save the other for January.
Champagne ham has had the bone removed and only has the hock left on, so it’s easier to carve.
Pressed ham – also known as continental ham – has had the bones removed and has been pressed, so it’s also easy to carve.
2. Check the pork percentage
The label on a packaged ham will say what percentage is actually meat. Hams are injected with brine, to keep them moist, and additives. The brine injection level for manufactured hams is usually between 10% and 35% of the ham's weight. A manufacturer that wants to produce a cheap ham will add more water to bump up the weight.
3. Know how to tell if it’s New Zealand pork
By far, most of the hams bought in New Zealand this Christmas will be from pigs reared overseas. New Zealand imports pork from about 25 countries. It’s frustrating for New Zealand pig farmers because this ham can come from farms that don’t have to meet the same animal welfare standards as we have in this country. As a result, overseas meat is often cheaper.
If buying New Zealand pork is important to you, look for:
words on the packaging like ‘New Zealand pork’ or ‘born and raised in New Zealand’
4. Have a good look at the ham
If you’re going to be glazing your ham, look for one that is covered in a finger-thick layer of fat. This will give you the thickness you need to make good score lines.
New Zealand Pork’s website also advises looking for a ham that has a meaty texture rather than one that looks wet or rubbery. It says the ham’s skin should be smooth with even colouring. “If the knuckle is sunken, it may be overcooked. If the rind is buckled or uneven, it may be a sign of dryness.”
5. Ask a lot of questions
If you’re ordering your pork from a butcher, you probably won’t be able to compare hams like you would at the supermarket. So, make sure you ask lots of questions, now that you know what you’re looking for.
You could ask:
Is the ham made from New Zealand born and farmed pork?
What will be its injection percentage?
What flavours will it have?
You could even ask if there’s a glaze the butcher thinks would work particularly well with those flavours.
6. Know what size you’ll need
If the ham is the only meat on your Christmas menu, New Zealand Pork advises allowing 1kg of ham for five people. Or if you’ve got other meat options, 1kg will feed about six to eight people.
7. Know the best hams in New Zealand
The best hams of the year were awarded at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards earlier in the year so you can check out which ones got medals. Some of them are only available in the city the butcher is based, but a Farmland boneless ham available nationwide won a gold award and Woolworths bone-in and boneless hams picked up bronze.
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