Prevention of thefts from summer houses

June 25, 2025

One of the main reasons for theft is the prolonged absence of owners from their dachas, making these properties particularly vulnerable to criminal activity. The items stolen can range from pots and pans, food, clothing, bicycles, and mobile phones to jewelry and large sums of money.

Almost every crime is committed due to the victims' own negligence regarding the security of their property and the low level of protection at their storage locations. Thieves prefer easy targets. Even the simplest precautions can help you protect your property:

- Do not leave household appliances, power tools, or other valuable property, including items made of non-ferrous metals, at your dacha.

- Arrange with neighbors who permanently reside nearby to keep an eye on your dwelling and other dacha structures.

- Do not leave keys to the entrance door in hidden places (under the doormat, in the mailbox).

- Do not leave your property unattended (mobile phones, bicycles, bags) even for what you perceive as a short period or in the company of people you know.

- Equip your dwelling, garage, and outbuildings with reliable locking devices and alarm systems. When leaving your home, even for "minutes," lock the door. While at home and engaged in domestic activities, lock the entrance door from the inside.

- Do not leave bicycles unattended outside shops, in building entrances, or in courtyards. Equip bicycles with locking devices.

- A coded door in the building entrance does not guarantee the security of your property.

- Install mortise locks on gates and doors rather than padlocks, as this immediately indicates whether the owners are present. For house doors, it is better to install surface-mounted locks so that their mechanisms are harder to access from the street. It is advisable to install sturdy bars on windows.

- If individuals claiming to be employees of the social protection department, housing and utility services, postal couriers, or other persons you have not summoned attempt to gain access, demand their identification documents, then call the relevant organization and verify if such an employee works there and where they should be at the present time.

In many cases, criminals offer to sell various items or medications at below-market prices, which are actually worth much less, including by visiting citizens at their residences. Therefore:

- Do not engage in conversation with individuals who offer to remove curses;

- Do not purchase household appliances or other goods from strangers on the spot;

- Do not exchange currency bills with strangers;

- Under no pretext should you hand over your money to strangers for them to provide services in acquiring an apartment, car, building materials, fuel, food, or other items, for performing any work, for the purpose of favorably resolving issues with officials regarding non-prosecution, passing exams, resolving housing matters, and so on;

- Do not lend large sums of money without proper legal documentation and witnesses;

- Do not disclose codes from SMS messages, payment card details, passwords and access codes, passport data, or other confidential information to anyone.

The Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus provides services under concluded contracts for the protection of citizens' residences and facilities of all forms of ownership, and performs design, installation, and commissioning of security and alarm systems in the shortest possible time. For inquiries, you can contact the Glubokoe Department of the Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.

If such individuals appear in your home or settlement, immediately call the police at "102", providing descriptions of the offenders and the transport they are using.

Most importantly, remember that the safety of your property depends directly on your personal vigilance.