SAFER HOMES

Whether out and about or at home, bear in mind: 1) Violent crime is rare and your chance of being a victim of it is very low, 2) Young men are more likely to be victims of violent crime than women or the elderly.

Nevertheless, there are steps you can take to make yourself safer. This module advises on home safety. You might also like to read our modules on staying safe in your neighbourhood, personal safety and fire safety.

Bogus callers and rogue traders‘Not sure? Don’t open the door!’

Most callers are genuine, but watch out for alleged utility workers, council workers, police or repairmen who haven’t made an appointment. If you’re alone and unsure, ask them to come back later when someone else will be there.

See Gov.uk for more information on bogus callers:www.gov.uk/browse/business/sale-goods-services-data

Read the Home Office leaflet ‘Your Doorstep, Your Decision’:www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/consumer_leaflets/general/oft733a.pdf

Your local Neighbourhood or Home Watch can help establish a No Cold Calling zone in your area.

WWW.OURWATCH.ORG.UK1

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Example 1: Larchwood Neighbourhood Watch, StaffordA No Cold Calling Zone has increased reports to police and reduced cold calls. A scheme is planned in which residents will look after neighbours’ properties while they’re away.

Example 2: Peel Estate, WithenshaweNeighbourhood Watch ran an awareness campaign and provided vulnerable residents with alarms against cowboy traders and criminals pretending to be door-to-door salespeople.

Home securityMost burglaries are opportunistic, not planned, so they’re easy to prevent:

Lock up

• Deadlock doors and close and secure lockable windows if you go out or upstairs.

• Unlocked UPVC units can be sprung. • Keep keys away from doors and windows in a place

where they are not visible to anyone looking in, and don’t hide them outside.

• Get a strong door with insurance company-approved locks.

• Fit an entry viewer and/or a good door chain or door bar.

• A letterbox cage will prevent lock release or theft via the letterbox.

• Change locks in new houses so only you have keys. • Don’t give keys to anyone you don’t know well.

The Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) licenses its approved locksmiths through a process of vetting and checking. Visit the MLA website to search for an MLA-approved and registered locksmith:

www.locksmiths.co.uk

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Windows

Visible window locks may deter thieves. Secure easily accessible windows. Draw the curtains in the evening.

Lighting

Lighting with timers, movement or night sensitive switches on external doors, gardens etc. will deter thieves. Neighbours get used to movement sensors being set off by cats etc. so don’t rely on them alone.

Valuables

• Keep valuables hidden out of sight and not viewable from windows.

• Keep jewellery and credit cards secure and house deeds and other important legal documents in banks.

• Burglars look in ‘safe’ spots such as under mattresses and in shoeboxes and tins.

• Never keep large amounts of cash at home.• Never leave packaging from new valuables such as

computers and televisions visible with your general rubbish.

Secure bikes by locking them to an immovable object inside a locked shed or garage. If possible, use a property marking service - your local Neighbourhood Policing Team should be able to tell you where you can get property marking from: www.police.uk

Alarms

Visible alarms can deter burglars. Insurance companies, your local Neighbourhood / Home Watch or Crime Prevention Officers can recommend local alarm companies who can offer you quotations. Always seek at least three like-for-like quotations before making any decisions, and think carefully before buying any goods or services from cold callers at your door or over the telephone.

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Gardens

These can be routes into homes. Secure yours with lockable gates and good quality fences, with 12 inch / 300 mm trellising and / or thorny plants.

• Lock away tools and ladders so thieves can’t use them to access your home.

• Lock outbuildings. • Don’t store valuables in sheds unless well

secured, e.g. with anchor bolts for large items.• Use electronic shed alarms or padlock alarms

to deter thieves.

Download a presentation about garden crime here: www.ourwatch.org.uk/resource_centre/document_library/garden_crime

Don’t give clues to burglars!

This might sound obvious, but it’s actually very easy to accidentally give away clues about your location on social media. It might be via ‘checking in’ somewhere or even something as simple as leaving your phone’s GPS service turned on or uploading a photo to the internet. For more information see this useful infographic from Distinctive Doors: www.ourwatch.org.uk/resource_centre/document_library/how_burglars_are_using_social_media_infographic

You can also get more information about online safety in our Mobile, Internet & Identity Safety section: www.ourwatch.org.uk/safety_advice/mobile_internet_and_identity_safety

While you’re away

Don’t make it obvious that your home is empty. Use timer switches for lights and radios (tuned to talk stations). Ask a neighbour to keep a car parked in the driveway. Ask someone to take in mail, milk, dustbins etc. If you have a trusted neighbour, friend or relative with a key, ask them to close the curtains at night and open them in the morning.

Example 1: Londonderry Road Neighbourhood Watch, Stockton-on-Tees

The group operates a service where members visit each others’ properties when they’re away to make them look occupied.

Example 2: Beeches Neighbourhood Watch, Uppingham, Rutland

Residents responded to a slight burglary increase by looking after people’s properties when they were away.

Watch out!

Keep watch for unusual callers, call the police if you see anyone suspicious and keep pens and paper ready to jot down number plates. If you return to your house and think you might have been broken into, don’t go into the house - the burglar might still be inside. Call the police.

Useful resources

Security advice from the Master Locksmiths Association:www.ourwatch.org.uk/uploads/pub_res/MLA_Security_Advice_for_NHWN.pdf

Home security tips and advice from ACPO Secured by Design: www.ourwatch.org.uk/resource_centre/document_library/home_security_tips_advice

A guide to buying and fitting doors, locks and windows: www.ourwatch.org.uk/resource_centre/document_library/a_guide_to_buying_and_fitting_doors_locks_windows

Master Locksmiths Association diagrams showing a secure and unsecure house:Secure house - www.ourwatch.org.uk/uploads/pub_res/Secure_House_Drawing_with_MLA_watermark.pdfUnsecure house - www.ourwatch.org.uk/uploads/pub_res/Secure_House_Drawing_with_MLA_watermark.pdfText to accompany diagrams - www.ourwatch.org.uk/uploads/pub_res/A_Visual_Guide_to_Home_Security_%28MLA%29.pdf

Car security at home

Most vehicle crime is preventable.

• Don’t leave valuables on show - not even a coat or an empty carrier bag.

• Park somewhere open and lock up.• Use your garage if you have one or a car park, especially one with a

‘Park Mark’, showing it meets recognised security levels.

• Keep car keys away from your front door and out of sight in the home.

• Remember to close the windows and sunroof when you leave your car.

• Try not to store things in the boot, particularly overnight; take them with you if possible.

• Store car ownership information in your home, not your car.

• When you leave the car, especially overnight, take removable stereos, radios and satnav equipment with you.

Number plates are often stolen for criminal use. Use Secure Plates or plates secured with anti-theft screws available from car accessory stores or your local police.

Check with your local force for upcoming car crime prevention events.

Choosing the right security products for your homeWhen looking to improve or upgrade your home security we work with ACPO Secured by Design and promote their recognised security standards for all home security products such as windows, locks and doors.

Owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers, Secured by Design is the official UK Police initiative that focuses on crime prevention for homes and commercial premises. SBD works with the industry creating security standards that are proven to reduce burglary by 75%.

A not for profit organisation, Secured by Design run a licensing scheme that awards companies that meet its high level security standards; these companies are entitled to use the Secured by Design logo and promote the term “Police Preferred Specification”. These products have been tested to higher security standards and so will withstand a higher level of attack then other products.

For further information of how to protect your home against burglars and for SBD member companies please visit: www.securedbydesign.com

Designing out Crime

Being inherently linked to the government’s planning objective of creating secure, quality places where people wish to live and work, Secured by Design has been cited as a key model in the guide ‘Safer Places - The Planning System & Crime Prevention’ (www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/saferplaces) and in the Home Office’s ‘Crime Reduction Strategy 2008-11’.