The advice below was shared by A&S Police’s Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) team. Find out more about the benefits of joining a NHW Scheme in our news article ‘SPC hosts Meet Your Community Police Officer event‘. Membership of NHW Schemes in Saltford is buoyant, and there is plenty of support available for those wishing to set up one in their area.
AT HOME
- Keep all unattended doors and windows locked at all times – you’d be surprised at how many “walk in” burglaries happen. Remove any keys and keep them out of sight, but ensure all residents know where they are in case of emergency. Close internal doors at night to help prevent the spread of fire and smoke.
- Put lights on timer switches whenever you go out, and tune a radio into a talk station to give the impression that someone is at home. You can now get a light that imitates the flicker of a TV, giving the impression that someone is watching television upstairs. As your neighbours will probably have their Christmas lights on, a dark house will stand out as being unoccupied.
- Close the curtains or blinds at dusk to make sure thieves can’t see through your windows and see what you’ve got to steal or that you’re on your own.
- Avoid advertising that you’re going to be away on Facebook or other social media – people other than your friends could be seeing your posts.
- After Christmas, don’t leave the boxes from your presents where people can see them – you’ll be advertising what’s in the house!
VEHICLES
- Keep your vehicles locked and alarmed (if you have one) at all times. Ensure you leave nothing on show, tempting thieves to break in and see what else is in there! Keep any shopping in the boot so it’s out of sight, and remove the items as soon as you can.
- If you return to your car with a lot of gifts and plan on continuing shopping, drive away and park in another spot. This makes anyone watching the car park think you have gone home or you’ve just arrived and don’t have a boot full of gifts – many of which may have a receipt in the bag!
GOING OUT / SHOPPING
- It’s always busy when you’re shopping or going out at Christmas, so watch out for pickpockets. Keep any wallets and purses in a zipped up pocket if possible.
- Get cash before you go out, so you don’t need to use a cash machine. If you have to get more money, never keep your PIN number in your purse or wallet, and always make sure no-one can see your number.
- If you think you’ll drink – get a taxi! Police stops and breath tests will be increased at this time of year.
- Guard your drink – don’t leave any drinks unattended to prevent the risk of drink spiking.
- Look out for each other! Stay with your friends and don’t let anyone go off alone, especially if they have overindulged!
TAXIS
- Try to book a taxi before you go out and agree a price for the journey. Use a recognised taxi rank if you haven’t planned your journey, and look out for a taxi badge and a meter. Taxis that don’t have a For Hire light are not allowed to pick up passengers that haven’t booked but hail them from the street. Any passenger that does travel with them after hailing them will be uninsured.
- Don’t let a drunk friend take a taxi on their own – having a sober friend with them protects both the passenger and the driver.
- Remember, DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!
HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS
(Information about how to contact the Police including the Keynsham Beat Team is on SPC’s ‘Report It‘ page)