Australians are encouraged to adopt a few simple changes that could deter criminals from targeting their homes amid a spike in burglaries. 

A new report has found one in five people have had a break-in or close call at their home but the majority didn’t upgrade their security in response.

Neighbourhood Watch CEO Maria Bennett told Sofie Formica there’s plenty of cost-effective measures you can take to make your home less of a target.

“It’s just about making your home more difficult to access and making it basically a more unattractive target, or a less attractive target,” she said.

“Whether you’ve got a gate on your fence, or even a fence for that matter, or a sign on your fence to say your property has cameras, it doesn’t have to be expensive.”

Press PLAY below to hear all of Ms Bennett’s tips 

Image: Getty