Use your digital camera to beat theft

Kim's game

Do you remember the old boy scout game where a tray of objects is shown and then taken away? The game being to recall as many objects as you can that were on the tray. It sounds simple but transpose Kim's game to your house or business when you've had a burglary. It's easy to spot the obvious missing items, i.e. Laptops, Hi-fi, wallet etc. But how do you know what else was stolen? Sometimes it can takes weeks to finally establish what else was stolen.

Your credit cards

Imagine playing Kim's game with your wallet. Can you remember exactly what cards you have in your wallet or purse right now? Most people can remember only about two thirds. What about the numbers? It's a lot quicker to organise replacements when you can quote the card numbers over the phone.

This is where your digital camera comes in. Simply lay out of all your cards on a plain background with the numbers clearly-discernible and take a photo. Save the photos onto a CD and delete them from your camera.

Your home or office

The same is true for the contents of your home or office. If you get burgled the last thing you want to be worrying about is remembering exactly what used to be in each room. Take photos of every room. Remember to photograph pictures on the walls, inside cupboards and drawers as well as the valuable electrical items. Try to photograph the significant items like jewellery individually. This time, though, it is important not to leave your photos on your home computer, as that might get stolen too. Instead, burn them onto CD and give it to a family member to keep safe in their house for you. Alternatively you can usually get your bank to keep it in their safe for a few pounds a year.

Detailed security advice and business continuity planning is available by contacting Roy Millard at Kennet Security Consulting.