Basingstoke Police explain how you can help prevent burglaries
By Deborah Doherty, PCSO at Basingstoke Police
We are working hard to prevent, detect, and solve burglaries. We’d also like to take this opportunity to remind our communities of the following crime prevention advice.
How to prevent burglaries when shopping
- Before you go out, double-check that your home is secure and that all windows and doors are properly locked and secure with keys out of sight.
- Wherever possible park in a secure car park or in a well-lit spot and make sure that your vehicle is locked.
- Avoid leaving your purchases and presents or other valuables on display in your vehicle whilst out shopping or outside your home.
- Consider crime prevention when buying gifts, for example does a bike come with a secure ‘D’ lock?
How to prevent burglaries at home
- Don’t advertise your gifts to burglars and leave presents in view of a window.
- Register valuable gifts for free at immobilise.com
- Think about how you dispose of packaging for expensive goods and don’t leave it on display outside of your property.
- Make your home look occupied wherever possible. Closing curtains and using timer switches for things like lights or a radio can help to deter opportunistic burglars as it gets darker earlier in the evening.
- Double check that any devices like alarms, security lighting, or video doorbells are in good working order.
- Ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your home if you are away visiting family or friends. Make sure you cancel deliveries like milk and that parcels won’t be delivered outside your front door while you are away.
