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IN THE HOUSE AND GARDEN...
Locks - It goes without saying that homes should
be protected with good quality locks on external doors and windows.
A five-lever mortice deadlock or sash locks to British Standard 3621 or EN
12209 should be fitted and outside doors and patio doors should have
lockable bolts top and bottom. Window locks should have removable
keys. Further information from the Master
Locksmiths Association, on the Home Security page there's a
downloadable guidelines leaflet. Never leave keys on a string
behind the letterbox or under the mat - these are the first places a thief
looks! Cat flaps have provided an entrance to the burglar too, with
keys left in the lock offenders can just reach up and let themselves
in. It's best to keep keys well out of reach of any home openings
anyway as thieves have used hooked sticks to reach through. If out
of the house ensure all keys, including car keys and office keys, are
locked away.
Valuables should be postcode and house number marked with a UV pen
- see products page - and photos or videos
taken of them. This can all help with identification if
recovered. Marking should be visible to the naked eye where
possible, if you've used covert marking then a sticker on the article
should indicate this, remember items often land up in auctions or boot
sales where purchasers will not carry a UV light or scanner.
Alarms and external PIR (passive infa-red) security lighting can be
a useful deterrent.  The
alarm you fit can either simply activate a bell or sounder or it can be
connected to the alarm company's central station. The monitoring
station will ascertain that the call is genuine and if the company is a
member of a regulatory body (see contacts), the central station will
automatically put an emergency call through to the Police. If you
have a bells only alarm then please alert your neighbours to the fact
that, should they report the bell ringing to the Police, they must
accompany this information with positive sighting of suspicious
activity. For example, the door may be open and they know you are
out, or they see an intruder entering or leaving the property.
When selecting your alarm company remember that:
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You can only get automatic police response from an alarm monitored by
a regulatory body
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You should get at least three quotes
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You should consider maintenance, monitoring and installation charges
as well as the cost of the system
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You should look at the contract carefully and find out if you are
offered ownership of the system
When going out, leave a light and/or radio on to give the impression of
being occupied. Remember, anonymity is the offenders strongest
weapon, they want to see you far less than you want to see them! If
going away for a while, have a neighbour pop in to draw or open curtains
and switch on/off lights. They can also park a car on your drive
during your holidays.
Sheds and Garages are particularly at risk and should always be
fitted with suitable good quality locks and locked at all times.
Keep valuable garden equipment locked inside when not in use, especially
ladders. A shed alarm is featured on the products
page. All property should be marked, particularly strimmers and
chainsaws and if you're in doubt about the integrity of your security in
relation to the value of the property you're storing, then fit ground
anchors, you may be able to make your own. Sold
Secure test security products and Thatcham
test vehicle security products.
Join a Neighourbourhood Watch scheme if you haven't already - see
the scheme start page for details.
Bogus callers are a growing menace, see the bogus
page for details on how to deal with them.
On display, easy prey - wallets,
bags, valuables, costly garden tools.
ON HOLIDAY...
Before you leave, think about the security of your property.
Ask a trusted neighbour to pop in and draw/open curtains, switch on/off
lights, park their car on your drive, etc to make the home look
occupied. A light on a timer switch is also an idea. Lock all
doors/windows and set any alarm and secure any garden equipment and
furniture away safely.
If flying, never  have
your home address on any luggage labels - criminals visit airports to spot
addresses of outward bound passengers. Keep passports, foreign
money, travellers cheques and valuables in hand luggage. Obey the airport
and airlines security procedures and co-operate fully. Never
agree to carry anything through airport check-ins or customs for anyone -
many countries have the death penalty for drug carriers!
It's easy to be lax on holiday with security, but the
points covered on personal safety, motoring, bank cards and so on still
apply! The crime rate in some countries is much higher than the UK
and penalties more severe.
At the hotel use the room safe for valuables, including
passports, or the hotel safety deposit boxes. Never leave
anything lying about a hotel room that may tempt staff. Treat
unexpected visitors knocking on the door as you would bogus
callers, check with reception if unsure.
Local customs are often different to the UK, comply with them as
much as possible to avoid  offending
the locals and breaking local laws. The pace of life is sometimes
much slower, try to adjust and don't get impatient, after all you're on
holiday and supposed to be relaxing - what's the hurry? Also worth
checking is the Suzy
Lamplugh site on staying safe abroad.
Backpacking and Gap Year travelling - Horror stories from
Australia, Malaysia and other places in recent years may cause concern to
young people and their parents, but incidents are very rare. It's
probably no less safe backpacking than any other type of holiday if care
is taken and the crime prevention points already highlighted are noted.
Before you go, carefully research the areas you plan to visit and take
guides, maps and GPS with you. Let friends and family know your
plans and keep in touch by phone or e-mail. If taking your laptop or
PDA, remember Wi-Fi isn't nearly so widespread in many countries as it is
in the UK. Internet cafés are useful for e-mailing home and keeping
up with world events to avoid trouble spots, see the Foreign
Office site. You'll need a tri or quad band mobile phone if
travelling through many countries, but it won't work in remote
areas. Remember distances can be vast in some countries - take
plenty of supplies, water, first aid kit, etc and if motoring fuel up
regularly.
On display, easy prey - passports,
luggage labels, cameras.
Please visit the links
page for links to many other crime related websites. Some useful
links are provided here for further crime prevention advice in general:
Home Office
advice
Sussex
Police Community Safety
BBCi
crime prevention advice
Government Crime Reduction advice
Also see our bogus page for advice on dealing
with callers at the door.
Remember, if you see a crime in progress, dial 999
immediately. The non emergency number of 0845 60 70 999 can
be used for cases that don't need such an immediate response. You
can also ring CRIMESTOPPERS anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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ABOUT THE PERSON...
Be aware of people around you and walk purposefully on the outside of
pavements facing oncoming traffic when possible.  Avoid
dark alleys and shortcuts, use well lit routes. Any bags should have
the opening facing inwards towards your body and keys should be carried in
your pocket. Keep expensive jewellery and your mobile hidden.
Only use your phone when necessary and try not to use it in crowded
areas. Keep a note of the IMEI number - keying *#06# into most
phones gives this. Most mobile phone theft is 'young male on young
male'. Carry an attack alarm if you feel vulnerable - see the products
page.
Clubbing, pubbing and partying should be enjoyable but young
females especially should never accept drinks from strangers or
leave their drink unintended and only accept drinks from closed containers
at parties as the use of so called date-rape drugs is on the
increase. The effects can last up to six hours and leave the body
after twelve, making their use difficult to prove. Those such as GHB,
Rohypnol and Ketamine are tasteless and belong to the sedatives family
called Benzodiazepines, be aware that testing kits on sale are largely
ineffective, see Consumer
Direct. Let someone know when you expect to be back and if
delayed, ring them. Avoid confrontational situations in pubs and
clubs and use the secure storage facilities for valuables where
available. Use only licensed taxis, never ones touting for
trade, it may not be a licensed mini-cab at all. On buses, sit near
the driver if possible and on trains sit in compartments with other
people.
On display, easy prey - open bag,
wallet in the open pocket, mobile phone.
IN THE CAR...
When driving, keep  doors
locked in town and windows up. Don't leave valuables like a mobile,
laptop or handbag/wallet on the passenger seats. If someone tries to
enter your vehicle, sound the horn and flash the lights to draw attention
to your situation. Never leave
the keys in the ignition, even if you're loading/unloading and lock it
at fuel stations.
Road Rage incidents have increased in recent years, to minimise the
risk drive with consideration for others and obey the rules of the highway
code. Pay attention to your speed and avoid tailgating, cutting in,
unnecessary lane swapping or any unusual manoeuvres. Try to stay
calm in stressful situations such as traffic jams, listen to your
favourite music!
Parking - When parking consider the situation when you return to
your vehicle. Choose a well lit, populated area that'll still look
secure if you return after dark and reverse into a  space
to ensure speedy exit. Lock all doors, remove all valuables and
coats and take them with you or put them in the boot. To check how
secure your car is, see Secure
Your Motor. Set any alarm and immobiliser, if you don't have one
consider fitting one. There are a host of other options too these
days, such as a tracking device.
Car Jacking - Modern cars are much harder to break into these days,
so criminals try to obtain the keys instead. And don't feel you're
immune if you drive an older or ordinary vehicle either. Always have
your key ready when you return to your car and if someone appears to flag
you down or you think you're being followed, drive on until you come to a
safe area to report it. Never give a stranger a lift or pick
up hitchhikers. If bumped, make sure you have the doors locked and
wait for the other driver to get out first. If you're at all
suspicious, ask them to follow you to a safer area. Use horn and
lights to alert others if you feel threatened.
On display, easy prey - wallet,
handbag, mobile, camera, laptop, shopping, audio.
USING BANK CARDS...
Treat your credit and debit cards like cash, keeping them safe at all
times. Your PIN shouldn't be written down and never be kept
with the cards, you can change it to a more memorable one if
necessary. Never reveal the PIN to anyone - it's
personal to you only. Always take any bank card receipts and shred
bank statements, etc, that contain card and account numbers. See APACS
for more information about the banking system.
ATMs (cash machines)  are
a target for criminals. Always try to use an ATM inside the bank as
it's more secure and likely to be covered by CCTV. If the machine
looks or behaves oddly, don't use it and report it to the bank
immediately, it may have been tampered with. There are pictures of a
tampered card slot on the scams page.
Shield the keypad when you key in the number (do this at Chip and Pin
terminals too) and if your card is retained, report it to the bank
straight away. The Cardwatch
website has a lot of information.
Watch out for tricks used by criminals at ATMs, if told you've
dropped a fiver, recover your card first before looking down - in the
blink of an eye a thief can 'skim' your card into a portable machine then
clone it to use to empty your account if they got your PIN when you keyed
it in. Another trick is to tamper with the card slot so it retains
the card (the so called Lebanese Loop), then watch you try several times
to key in your PIN before you walk away in frustration, they then recover
the card and empty your account!
See the PC Security page for computer
banking security issues and the scams page for the
latest scams.
On display, easy prey - bank cards,
wallet, money.
IDENTITY THEFT...
This has become a growing problem in recent years, and the worrying
thing is the ease with which it's possible. Criminals steal the
identity of a living - or dead - person by obtaining personal documents
from the dustbin, mail or when breaking into a property, then applying for
bank accounts, passports, driving licence, etc in that persons name.
Sometimes the first the victim knows about it is when they notice credit
card transactions on their card that they haven't made or start to get
demands for payment of overdrawn accounts, traffic offences and maybe more
serious crimes. It can be very difficult and time consuming to prove
innocence. To minimise your risk, always shred documents with
personal information on them, such as bank statements, utility bills, even
junk mail with your address on and cut up old credit/debit cards. Never
give your personal details to anyone you don't know who asks for them, eg
telesales or marketing companies. Lock away personal documents in
your home and ensure your private information remains private. In
June 2006 it was made an offence under the Identity Cards Act for a person
to possess or control an identity document without valid reason, which is
false, improperly obtained or which relates to someone else. The Home
Office has a dedicated ID theft website that has masses of info, also
see CIFAS.
You may like to register with the Mailing
Preference Service to minimise the amount of junk mail and phone calls
you receive.
SOME FACTS...
If all this seems worrying and news of ever increasing crime rates
depressing, remember to keep it all in perspective. Most violent
crime is committed by young males against young males. Unless you
fit into this category, the chances of you becoming a victim of violent
crime are small, especially if you take note of the prevention tips on
this page. Bogus callers usually target
older people and anyone can be the target of credit card fraud or car
crime.
Criminals look for an easy target - if you make yourself, your property,
your vehicle and possessions a difficult target they'll look
elsewhere. It's debatable if crime rates are actually rising - these
days people are much more likely to report crime than they were in
previous years. The fear of crime is often greater than its actual
incidence!
Revised November 2006
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