Dear Resident, Help protect your home this Christmas by keeping presents out of view and making sure you lock all your doors and windows. Think 'WIDEN' - WINDOWS, INTERIOR, DOORS, EXTERIOR, NEIGHBOURS to help keep your home safe – the link below offers some handy tips to stay safe. https://orlo.uk/cyxqT WINDOWS Are your windows closed and locked?Are your windows sensor activated?Have you secured your garage and shed windows with locks? INTERIOR Are your lights on a switch timer or smart bulb with timer? Make sure your home looks occupied, an empty home is a far more tempting.Is your home alarm on?Are your valuable items such as jewellery, car keys, laptops, iPads, cash and phones out of sight?Are your chargers and cables for laptops or iPads out of view?Have you created a written and photographic record of any items of value? (both valuable and sentimental)Doors Is your front door double or deadlocked?Are all the doors in your home locked?Are your door keys kept out of sight (but close to hand in case of an emergency?)Lock front and back doors, even when you are in the house and particularly overnight.EXTERIOR Are your outside lights on a sensor?Have you cut down tall hedges from around the outside of your home?Is all the packaging from expensive items i.e.laptops, tablets, phones, games consoles disposed of out of sight?Are your vehicles locked and valuables removed?Are your sheds, ide gates, garages and outbuildings locked?Are items that can be used to break in i.e. bricks,rubble, ladders and garden equipment put away?Don’t leave wheelie bins where they could be used by someone to climb over a wall or fence.Are valuable items such as power tools, strimmer’s, pressure washers securely locked away?Consider marking your belongings with a UV pen or forensic property marking technology such as Smartwater. NEIGHBOURS Have you told a trusted neighbour that you are going on holiday?Are there unknown individuals hanging around outside your neighbours’ home? TAKING SOME SIMPLE MEASURES CAN HELP PREVENT YOUR HOME FROM BEING TARGETED BY BURGLARS Follow the link for further information around protecting yourself, your home and your business from crime https://www.westmercia.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention The West Mercia Police website offers further crime prevention advice: Crime prevention advice | West Mercia Police Neighbourhood Watch | West Mercia Police You can also reply to this email if you have any questions, and I will get back in touch. To report a crime follow the link below or call 101. https://www.westmercia.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ In an emergency, please call 999. Kind regards, Shrewsbury Rurual East |