Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Jackie Dodson from the Great Brickhill, Wing and Ivinghoe neighbourhood Policing Team is encouraging local residents to help prevent burglary and theft by following some simple crime prevention tips:-
- Move bins away from the side of your house / back gate so they can’t be used as a stepping stone and lock garden gates.
- Make sure you lock your doors with the key once inside the house and when going to bed, making sure your keys are out of sight but available in an emergency. DO NOT leave keys in doors or anywhere that they could be reached through the letter box or windows etc. Close curtains when it’s getting dark, and before putting on lights, so your valuables cannot be seen.
- Lock windows and don’t leave windows open in any part of your house that is unattended – such as front windows whilst you are working in your back garden. It only takes a minute for opportunist criminals to gain entry and steal easily accessible items.
- Use timer switches on lights to give the impression that the property is occupied and consider leaving the radio on a chat program when out of the house.
- Keep valuables locked away out of site and don’t keep cash ‘hidden’ in your house – put it in the bank or building society.
- Trim or cut any overgrowing bushes or trees from the front of the property – this will make it harder for anyone to break in at the front without being seen.
- Consider buying Alarm padlocks (which you can buy for as little as £10) to use on sheds and outbuildings etc.
- Buy a free standing camera which can detect movement and send a message to your phone or laptop, again these can be purchased for as little as £39, also Fake TV, where a light flickers looking like a TV is on, (good for using upstairs)
- Let neighbours know you are going away and see if they can park a vehicle on your driveway. Ask them to push any mail right through your letter box and see if they can put your bin out and bring it back in on collection day.
- DO NOT talk about the fact you are going away in your local shop or outside school, you don’t know who is listening.
- Outside security lighting – make sure it is put high up to stop them being tampered with and is in good working order.
- Lock away all garden tools and ladders to prevent them being used to break into yours or someone else’s premise. Property mark them with your postcode and house number
- Be aware of your surroundings – when leaving home check for anything that doesn’t seem right and if you’re unsure ring the 24 hour non- emergency number 101, or if a crime is in progress dial on 999.
Kind Regards
PCSO Jackie Dodson