27
Jul
2014
By Calvin at 11:47 GMT, 9 years ago
Things get a little quiet for my website at this time of year, because rather than visiting my site for a little home or personal security advice people are thinking of more important things, such as what fun things to do with the children now they’re off school or maybe getting ready for that hard earned holiday – and why not!
So, just to cheer everyone up, I thought I’d scribble down a list of things we do or get wrong that on occasion can lead to a crime. I should add that I haven’t made these things up! I read pages of news stories each week to bring you my nuggets of information and so I can’t help notice the same security issues coming up time and time again.....enjoy!
- Leaving stuff on view in the car
- Not properly locking a multi-point locking door, especially at night
- Leaving keys in door locks, especially close to cat-flaps
- Leaving a ground floor front window open when out in the back garden
- Leaving doors and windows open or unlocked when going out
- Not leaving lights on in the home when we go out at night
- Not buying enhanced secured doors and windows when upgrading them
- Having an insecure shed containing tools for the burglar to use on the house
- Not locking the garage, which may have a door directly into the house
- Not chaining up a wheelie bin which could be used to climb over a side gate
- Not locking a side gate
- Not setting the burglar alarm
- Having a security safe and not using it
- Not marking valuables, making it easy for thieves to sell them on
- Opening the door to unexpected callers without checking who’s there first
- Doing business with cold callers at the door and on the phone
- Carrying a wallet in a back pocket
- Hanging a handbag on the back of a chair in a pub or cafe
- Showing off the latest mobile phone to friends in a busy pub
- Getting into an unlicensed taxi
- Believing something we are told that’s simply too good to be true
- Not trusting our instincts that something isn’t right
If you’ve read through my list I bet one or two or maybe three things sparked something in your memory :-)
Be not embarrassed! I’ve been guilty of several of them myself (but not my wife who is perfect in every way).
The point I want to make though is that these mistakes create the conditions necessary for unnecessary crimes to take place! Most of the time you’ll get away with it, but then one day you won’t and then you’ll have to call the police (My youngest lad once left the house unoccupied leaving the back door wide open all day long!) Having been a policeman attending the scenes of many unnecessary crimes I was always very sensitive to the victim – as we should be, but privately it used to concern me especially as in my days thieving and burglary and crime in general was far more common than it is today - and we could barely keep up with the volume.
So my request is always to take a minute or two to consider your security, which might save you a day or two in picking up the pieces when things go wrong
Have a jolly holiday!
Want to assess your home security? Complete our free Home Security Survey to find out what you need to do http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/home-security-assessment/468/home-security-survey--diy/
