alfie
11-12-08, 12:41 PM
Recently published by the Crime Reduction Adviser for Woking â?? PC Tracy Spencer -
â?¢ Donâ??t keep large stashes of Christmas shopping cash at home. Why not consider paying for your festive goods using cheques or credit cards? If you have more than one credit or debit card, store them separately.
â?¢ Store large Christmas gifts securely. Garden sheds and garages are handy for storing big presents like bicycles. But unlocked sheds and garages provide rich pickings for burglars. Make sure your shed or garage has strong locks on the windows and doors. Hanging thick net curtains on the windows helps obscure valuable items.
â?¢ Bottles of bubbly, crates of wine and beer? Try to store them in your home, perhaps in a spare bedroom or under the stairs. If you must put them outside, keep them under lock and key in a secure shed or garage.
â?¢ Put Christmas gifts out at the very last minute. Piling pressies under your Christmas tree before December 25 is a great way to advertise your holiday goodies to opportunistic thieves looking in windows. Hide presents out of sight so the only one who can find them is Santa!
â?¢ Travelling at Christmas? Donâ??t load up your car with presents the night before as you may wake up to find someone other than Santa has paid a visit. A thief wouldnâ??t have given your car a second glance if all those lovely gifts hadnâ??t been on display. Save yourself the heartache and misery by waiting until you are ready to hit the road before filling your car boot.
â?¢ Lock away valuable goods that are hard to replace over the festive period like cash, credit cards, passports, jewellery, cameras, etc.
â?¢ Permanently marking valuable Christmas presents you receive helps safeguard them in future. Marking kits are inexpensive and could get help get your possessions back if theyâ??re stolen. Another good idea is to keep photographs of your valuable belongings and a short written description noting any unusual details.
â?¢ Give your home a Christmas present. Make sure your front and back door locks are up to standard. If not, get new ones. Add a security chain and a door viewer - invaluable for screening unwanted callers. Trim back shrubs in the garden which can screen any unwanted guests onto your property and think about planting prickly hedges on the boundaries â?? an excellent deterrent if your fences are not too secure.
â?¢ After Christmas, donâ??t advertise your new goodies. Leaving large computer, TV, video and appliance boxes outside for rubbish collection is a great way of letting everyone â?? including thieves â?? know what youâ??ve got in the house. So carefully dispose of packaging by tearing up boxes and putting the pieces in sealed bin liners.
Spending the Christmas period away from home? Then remember these precautions:
â?¢ Activate your alarm when you go away. Consider subscribing to Surpol keyholder data base in order that your key holders can be contacted if there is a problem at your property. Details can be found at www.surpol.co.uk part of the subscription goes to Neighbourhood Watch Funding.
â?¢ Put some of your interior lights on timers so it looks like someone is home. You might consider leaving a radio playing. Signs of occupation help deter intruders.
â?¢ Lock up your garden shed. Donâ??t make it easy for would-be thieves to have access to ladders and tools which they can use to break into your house.
â?¢ Cancel regular deliveries like newspapers and milk. Ask a neighbour to keep an eye on your house and check your mailbox frequently so any letters and leaflets are pushed through.
â?¢ And as itâ??s the season of goodwill make sure youâ??re on good terms with your neighbours. Let them know if youâ??re going away so they can keep an eye on the house. It is often neighbours who alert police to suspicious activity.
â?¢ Donâ??t keep large stashes of Christmas shopping cash at home. Why not consider paying for your festive goods using cheques or credit cards? If you have more than one credit or debit card, store them separately.
â?¢ Store large Christmas gifts securely. Garden sheds and garages are handy for storing big presents like bicycles. But unlocked sheds and garages provide rich pickings for burglars. Make sure your shed or garage has strong locks on the windows and doors. Hanging thick net curtains on the windows helps obscure valuable items.
â?¢ Bottles of bubbly, crates of wine and beer? Try to store them in your home, perhaps in a spare bedroom or under the stairs. If you must put them outside, keep them under lock and key in a secure shed or garage.
â?¢ Put Christmas gifts out at the very last minute. Piling pressies under your Christmas tree before December 25 is a great way to advertise your holiday goodies to opportunistic thieves looking in windows. Hide presents out of sight so the only one who can find them is Santa!
â?¢ Travelling at Christmas? Donâ??t load up your car with presents the night before as you may wake up to find someone other than Santa has paid a visit. A thief wouldnâ??t have given your car a second glance if all those lovely gifts hadnâ??t been on display. Save yourself the heartache and misery by waiting until you are ready to hit the road before filling your car boot.
â?¢ Lock away valuable goods that are hard to replace over the festive period like cash, credit cards, passports, jewellery, cameras, etc.
â?¢ Permanently marking valuable Christmas presents you receive helps safeguard them in future. Marking kits are inexpensive and could get help get your possessions back if theyâ??re stolen. Another good idea is to keep photographs of your valuable belongings and a short written description noting any unusual details.
â?¢ Give your home a Christmas present. Make sure your front and back door locks are up to standard. If not, get new ones. Add a security chain and a door viewer - invaluable for screening unwanted callers. Trim back shrubs in the garden which can screen any unwanted guests onto your property and think about planting prickly hedges on the boundaries â?? an excellent deterrent if your fences are not too secure.
â?¢ After Christmas, donâ??t advertise your new goodies. Leaving large computer, TV, video and appliance boxes outside for rubbish collection is a great way of letting everyone â?? including thieves â?? know what youâ??ve got in the house. So carefully dispose of packaging by tearing up boxes and putting the pieces in sealed bin liners.
Spending the Christmas period away from home? Then remember these precautions:
â?¢ Activate your alarm when you go away. Consider subscribing to Surpol keyholder data base in order that your key holders can be contacted if there is a problem at your property. Details can be found at www.surpol.co.uk part of the subscription goes to Neighbourhood Watch Funding.
â?¢ Put some of your interior lights on timers so it looks like someone is home. You might consider leaving a radio playing. Signs of occupation help deter intruders.
â?¢ Lock up your garden shed. Donâ??t make it easy for would-be thieves to have access to ladders and tools which they can use to break into your house.
â?¢ Cancel regular deliveries like newspapers and milk. Ask a neighbour to keep an eye on your house and check your mailbox frequently so any letters and leaflets are pushed through.
â?¢ And as itâ??s the season of goodwill make sure youâ??re on good terms with your neighbours. Let them know if youâ??re going away so they can keep an eye on the house. It is often neighbours who alert police to suspicious activity.