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Dear residents I hope I'm not jumping the gun with this one, considering we have only had two or three days of sunshine in amongst all the rain… We are urging people to particularly vigilant to burglaries as warmer weather arrives. During the spring and summer months, doors and windows are often left open, making homes an easy target for thieves. There are some simple but effective ways that you can protect your property: Keep front, patio and back doors closed and lockedwhen you are elsewhere in the house or the garden.Keep garden gates locked when you are away from the property.Ensure that windows and external doors on the ground floor are locked at night, and all doors and windows are locked when you are out of the house. Even a small window could provide a burglar with an opportunity to reach through and open a larger window to gain access.Remember to close downstairs windows when leaving a room, to deter the opportunist thief.Find out about property marking schemes such as Smartwater If an item is marked it will be much harder for a thief to sell on. Also, if recovered, stolen items can then be returned to their rightful owner.Look out for your neighbours' property if they are away for a few days.Joining your local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is good way to meet those living on your street. Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators help to keep the local groups informed of criminal activity in the community, pass on crime prevention advice and help resolve local issues. Local members are encouraged to keep an eye on what's going and pass on details of suspicious activity. To find out details of schemes in your area, please click www. westmercia.police.uk/article/4529/Neighbourhood-Watch/For more information on how you can keep your home safe from burglars: www.westmercia.police.uk/Home-security If you have information about a crime or anyone you suspect may be involved in criminality, then please let us know using the online ‘Tell Us About’ form on our website www.westmercia.police.uk. If you aren’t comfortable contacting us directly, you can pass on information anonymously to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org Thank you for your help. It is only by the police and the public working together that we can prevent and detect crime. Jon |
