As we start the year, it’s a good time to reset, reorganise and make sure our homes and families are as safe as they can be. Here are 10 simple home security reminders to help you begin the year feeling prepared and protected: 1️⃣ Check doors and windows properly Make sure locks are working, nothing is loose, and everyone in the home knows how to secure them. 2️⃣ Review who has keys If keys have gone missing or been borrowed, consider changing locks or resetting codes. 3️⃣ Use lights wisely Timer switches or motion sensor lighting can make a home look lived in and discourage unwanted visitors. 4️⃣ Keep valuables out of sight Avoid leaving laptops, handbags, jewellery or new gadgets on display near windows. 5️⃣ Secure garages, sheds and outbuildings Tools can be used to break in, so keep them locked away and hidden. 6️⃣ Be mindful on social media Avoid posting travel plans or showing too much of your home layout publicly. 7️⃣ Know your neighbours A friendly community is one of the strongest security systems there is. 8️⃣ Test alarms and cameras Check batteries, settings and apps so everything works as it should. 9️⃣ Have a night time routine Doors locked, windows shut, alarms on, and car keys stored safely. The same routine every evening. 🔟 Talk to your family Children and teenagers should know the basics of staying safe at home, calmly and confidently. Security is not about fear. It is about being prepared, aware and confident. Small habits build strong families 💪 Stay safe. Stay calm. Stay switched on. 🛡 Family Bodyguard Protect. Prepare. Prevent.

Happy New Year 2026 to our Family Bodyguard community As we step into a brand-new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect, reset, and refocus on what truly matters — protecting the people we love. Family security isn’t about living in fear. It’s about living with awareness, confidence, and quiet readiness. This year, let’s set intentions not only for health, success, and happiness — but also for peace of mind. Take time over the coming weeks to think about: 🔒 How secure and prepared your home is 🧠 Whether your family knows what to do in an emergency 🚶‍♂️ The everyday routines that can quietly improve safety 📞 Your family communication plan 💬 The conversations that help children feel safe, not scared Small steps create strong families. Calm planning creates confident minds. Awareness creates safety. In 2026 our focus is simple: ✔ Be mindful ✔ Be prepared ✔ Be resilient ✔ Protect what matters most Wherever you are on your journey, remember — you don’t need to be perfect. Just committed. And we’ll continue supporting you with tools, guidance and training to help your family feel safe, capable and empowered in the year ahead. Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, peaceful and secure New Year. Family first. Always.

As we move towards Christmas this is the point in the year where we all tend to wind down a little and focus on the festive build up. It is also the point where our environment becomes busier than usual. Extra lights on houses, visitors coming and going, unfamiliar cars in the street, delivery vans stopping at every other house, parcels being dropped off at all hours. All of this creates visual noise and it becomes easy to switch off. Normally one strange car or one person standing in the wrong place would stand out straight away. But at this time of year there is so much activity that the unusual becomes blended into the background. We are busy in our own heads and everyone around us is busy too. That combination often means we miss the small things that would normally alert us to a change in our environment. So as we start a new week this is a good time to reset with fresh eyes. Each morning take a very simple two second walk around the outside of your home. Look for anything that wasn’t there the night before. Footprints in the garden. A gate that wasn’t quite closed. A bin moved. A strange vehicle parked up. Anything that feels out of place. If you have put in extra lighting this year it will help a lot. If not then your awareness becomes even more important. Use that basic bodyguard mindset. Imagine you had a principal staying at your house and they were coming out within the next hour. Ask yourself who is around. What cars are on the road. Who is watching. What movement is happening at the end of the street. Think about it clearly rather than emotionally. The aim is not to become paranoid but to stay observant. Knowledge is power. It is far better to notice something early than to be forced into a reactive situation later. Prevention always beats reaction and ninety percent of prevention comes from simply paying attention. So start this week with intention. Fresh eyes. Clear awareness. Calm vigilance. A few seconds each morning can make all the difference as we head into the busiest month of the year.

As we move into the busy run up to Christmas this is a good time to tighten up a few basic safety habits around the home. December is full of extra clutter, extra electricals and extra fire risks, so a bit of preparation now will make life safer and calmer when everything gets hectic. Start with the fire alarms. Test every alarm in the house, replace any weak batteries and make sure they are all sounding properly. This is your first layer of protection and it takes less than a minute to check. Next look at your escape routes. At this time of year people move furniture to make space for the tree and without realising it they block a doorway or narrow a corridor. Walk through your home and make sure every exit is clear. Check that nothing is preventing a direct route from bedrooms to the front or back door. If the tree or presents are in the way, adjust them now before the big day arrives. We also see a lot of new chargers and gadgets being plugged in at Christmas. Many people charge items ahead of time so they are ready for Christmas morning. If you are doing this make sure it is done while you are awake and paying attention. Plug it in, leave it a few minutes, then hold the plug to check for heat. Run your hand gently along the cable to make sure it is cool and undamaged. Keep chargers in open areas, never under clothing or next to piles of wrapping paper, and do not leave unfamiliar chargers on overnight. Speaking of wrapping paper, keep control of waste as you go. Christmas paper is extremely flammable. Bag it up, keep it away from open fires and log burners and do not let it pile up around the living space. Every home should have a fire blanket and a small extinguisher, especially in the kitchen. Just as important is having a simple fire plan that every member of the family understands. Do a quick walk through. If a fire starts upstairs, how does the family get out. If it starts downstairs, what is the plan. If the stairs are blocked, what is the alternative. Where do you all meet outside. These drills take only a minute or two but they build calm confidence if anything ever goes wrong.

Visibility, Awareness and the Car to Home Zone December is one of the busiest, darkest and most distracted months of the year. People are rushing from work, doing Christmas shopping, driving tired, driving stressed and often not looking properly. That means we step up our Bodyguard mindset. HIGH VIS AND BRIGHT CLOTHING This is not fashion. This is personal protection. A driver at night will see: A child in dark clothing at the roadside at the very last second A child in light clothing slightly earlier A child in high visibility or reflective clothing from a safe stopping distance The visual difference between these three is dramatic and life saving. Simple rule. If you are outside after 4pm in December, you glow. High visibility strips, armbands, reflective trainers, bright jackets. Anything that forces attention and gives you time and distance. WALKING SAFETY THE BODYGUARD WAY Walk facing traffic where possible so you can see vehicles approaching and react early Eyes up, not head down No headphones or one ear only at low volume Nothing in your hands. No phones, no scrolling Hands free equals balance, reaction and self protection THE MOST HEIGHTENED SECURITY MOMENT Car to Building and Building to Car One of the most heightened security moments for professional bodyguards is when principals are extracted from buildings into vehicles and from vehicles into buildings. This is where you often see overt security with presidents, celebrities and public figures. We do not need overt security. What we do want is the Bodyguard mindset. When you are turning into your street, especially in urban areas, it can be worth doing a quiet drive past your house, going around the block and returning before parking. It is surprising how many people do not actually know what is at the top of their road because they never travel that way. The simple habit of driving around your local area regularly builds awareness. What you are looking for is anything out of place. Someone not doing what they should be doing. Someone sitting watching. A vehicle parked that feels wrong.