|
Back
to Police
Home
& Business Crime Prevention Tips
1.
Secure your home with quality locks on doors and windows.
A
surprising number of burglaries are opportunistic in nature and
occur simply because the residence was unlocked.
2.
Safeguard your keys; don't give others a chance to duplicate them.
Don't
keep spare keys in obvious places and if their whereabouts has
been compromised, change lock cylinders and the location of the
spare key.
3.
Don't let your home appear to be unoccupied when you're away.
Make
arrangements for mail and newspapers; if at all possible leave
a car in the driveway. If absent for extended periods in the winter,
arrange to have a keyholder make periodic checks and have snow
removed from the driveway.
4.
Don't let strangers in or let them know when you'll be away.
We
have found that homes are often "visited" by burglars
prior to a break-in. While these "visits" may appear
to be for innocuous reasons, recent examples include someone asking
for directions and another looking for a lost pet. If this occurs,
attempt to obtain as complete a description as possible of the
person as well as any vehicles, including a registration number.
5.
Leave a light on when you're away, preferably on an automatic timing
device.
There
are a wide variety of relatively inexpensive automatic timing
devices available at your local hardware store.
6.
Insure your possessions and keep an updated inventory.
Without
an inventory, many people aren't even aware of the extent of the
burglary for months after it occurred.
7.
Record serial numbers or identifying marks on theft-prone items.
The
vast majority of stolen items that we recover can be attributed
to the owner providing us with serial numbers. If given the serial
number of a stolen item, we are able to enter it into a nationwide
computer that greatly increases the chances of a recovery. However,
without that serial number the chance of a recovery is slim.
8.
Keep valuables in a safe deposit box.
Personal
papers are often mistakenly taken in burglaries when the burglars
are fleeing with whatever they can. These are generally not recovered
and can be difficult if not impossible for a homeowner to replace.
9.
Lock vehicles in the driveway.
On
occasion, particularly during summer months, we experience rashes
of car burglaries. Vehicles targeted are generally unlocked and
in instances when keys are left in the ignition the cars are simply
stolen. Cell phones, compact discs, stereos, and money are frequently
targeted and it is not uncommon for many cars in one neighborhood
to be rummaged through.
10.
Be attentive to your surroundings.
Don't
hesitate to advise the police of suspicious vehicles in the neighborhood.
One common tactic that burglars use is to drop a person off at
a residence and while a burglary is committed the suspect vehicle
leaves the area for a short time.
|
