Crime Prevention Advice.

It's getting darker outside and we often see a bit of a spike in burglary and theft at this time of year, so we wanted to impart some top tips about keeping your car safe from thieves this Autumn and Winter.

(We have confirmed, these tips will also work in Spring and Summer).

One

Did you lock it? Are you sure?

Make sure you hear the *chu-chunk* of the locking bolts before walking away - if you’ve got keyless entry, it’s worth popping the fob into a Faraday pouch after locking it.

 Two

Out of sight, out of mind

Car windows are easily smashed - if you’ve left your shopping or your wallet in view, there’s no guarantee it’ll be there when you get back

 Three

Protect your parking spot

Try and park in well-lit areas and in view of CCTV - particularly at night. This goes for your driveway too - a doorbell camera is a great deterrent!

Four

Upload that dashcam data

Some modern dashcams can automatically upload their content to the cloud - you might catch the thief in the act. Even regularly downloading the recordings could catch someone scoping out your vehicle if your dashcam has a parking mode.

Five

Alarm your car

If your car has an alarm, make sure it’s working. If it doesn’t, consider having a third-party alarm or immobiliser fitted.

 Mrs Miggins at number 23 always pops her head out the window when a car alarm goes off (she is truly our greatest community safety asset).