Info about Crime Prevention
The Security Plan – The 6 Steps to a Safe Home
• Put valuables away Keep share certificates, house deeds, precious jewellery etc in a safe deposit box in a bank or security company. If you have to keep large amounts of money at home, consider a safe.
• If you can't, take security measures. Don't talk about your valuables, money or forthcoming holidays in a public place. Never place valuables in a room where they can be seen by passers-by. Mark items with special ink which becomes visible under UV light — use your postcode plus house number. Insure valuables adequately — take photographs and keep an inventory.
• Install the essential security items. There are hundreds of security items on the market — but only a few are essential. Nine out of every 10 entries are through open or inefficiently closed doors or windows. A simple nightlatch on the front door can be opened very easily - you need a mortise deadlock. Downstairs windows need key-operated window locks. French windows need hinge bolts and sliding patio doors should have a key-operated security look.
• Carry out the essential drill before you go out. If leaving for a short time:
• Lock the external doors and windows — close the garage door.
• Switch the radio on. If going out at night switch on at least one light after drawing the curtains of the room. Switch on an outside light if there is one.
• If going on holiday
• Cancel the papers, milk and any other regular deliveries.
• Keep the curtains open. Lock the external doors and windows — close and lock the garage door and lock the garden shed.
• Arrange with a neighbour to keep an eye on the property. This will call for throwing away free newspapers, pushing mail through the letter-box and perhaps cutting the lawn.
• Most experts believe that you should not lock drawers nor internal doors when the house is unoccupied.
• Don't ask for trouble. Don't do any of the silly things which make the job of a thief easier. The list includes leaving the back door open when watching evening TV, and leaving the key under the mat. Notes to tradesmen pinned to the front door are another open invitation. Don't leave the key for a window lock on the window frame. Change the locks when you move house.
If you are cautious, nervous or have valuables, consider the optional extras Fit a door chain on the front door, plus a door viewer if you are nervous. The back door will need a deadlock like the front one. Insurance companies may advise you to have key-operated bolts at the top and bottom of doors which open to the outside. Fit key-operated locks to upper as well as the downstairs windows. Double glazing is a great deterrent.
Install a strong porch light. Fit a light sensor switch in one or two rooms which turns on the light at night and off at dawn. Leave on all the time, not just when you are away. Alternatively you can buy time switches which can be set to turn on the lights at either pre-set or random times. Install an outside light which switches on for a few minutes when you (or an intruder) approaches. Don't try to illuminate your house like a Christmas tree on the nights when you are away — a burglar will know you are out if it doesn't look normal. Burglar alarms are useful — they will frighten off an intruder and warn neighbours of a break-in. Magnetic alarms are the most reliable type, but they are also the most complex and the most expensive. Windows and doors are fitted with magnetic contacts which when opened cause the alarm to ring, and pressure pads are fitted below carpets. Easier to install are the infra-red and ultra-sonic systems, but some of these can be triggered off by draughts. There are still more additional extras — a barking dog can be as good as a burglar alarm, sticky anti-burglar paint can be used on drainpipes and battery-operated personal alarms can be installed by the front door or bedside. An optional extra which will cost you nothing is to obtain advice from your Crime Prevention Officer — ring the police station and he will visit your home.