Chiltern South Bucks Burglary Reduction Update
You will often hear about the police working in partnership with agencies to combat crime. With burglary the most important partner we can work with is you! By this I mean getting you to look out for yours and your neighbours properties.
Last year we worked closely with Neighbourhood Watch to get more people signed up to the scheme. In the last year we developed a police operations with NHW, where members of NHW were briefed with relevant intelligence of issues that were happening in our area with a dedicated response team to deal with your calls who are on patrol in the afternoons into the evenings.
Improving your security
There are a host of things that we can do to make our properties safer. I am going to concentrate on 6 low cost areas which can prevent some burglaries from occurring.
1: Keep your doors locked at all times. This is the first port of call for a burglar. I have reviewed several cases CCTV where offenders brazenly pull onto the victims driveway, check the door handle and then call at the address.
Challenge your family when they leave the doors unlocked. This is a common problem as I have experienced.
2: Use your Window locks. It’s all very well having window locks but are you using them. Again this is a common method of entry so let’s make sure that the burglar can’t just open it and wipe the glass away. If it is locked there will be an increased risk of DNA transfer. It’s coming into winter so let’s lock the window and have the key in a safe place nearby.
3: Keyless technology. Make sure that your keys are in a safe location where car thieves can’t target them.Keyless car thefts. With the innovation of keyless cars we are finding a huge increase in cars being stolen without burglars even having to enter the home address. Investigations have shown that criminals are going up to front doors and scanning car keys through the front door. As people start to adapt to this new threat so do the criminals. A recent case showed a burglar going to the rear of the property and using garden furniture as a way to get higher to try and obtain a signal.
Please be careful with your car keys, at home and when out and about, and be aware of the risks when left next to the front door on the sideboard or a coat pocket. Metal Faraday tins can be used to block car keys signals (Cost around £12 )or a signal blocker pouches can be purchased (for around £6).
4: Lock your gate. Stop people from having free access to the rear or side of your house. Go one step further and get pet friendly prick a strip for the top of your walls, gates and fences.
5: Keep a light on principles. Make it looks like someone is up and around. Use timer switches, have a radio on or use a fake TV light display to give the illusion you are in. Burglars do not want to get caught and will target somewhere else. Top tip (from Mr G) If you have Amazon Alexa, you can say 'open burglar deterrent' and it will make the house sound like it is occupied including the occasional dog barking. It will remain on until you arrive home and turn it off.
6; Set up a Neighbourhood Watch. A Neighbourhood Watch is a great way to get to know your neighbours so that you can build up community resilience. The scheme is free and some studies have shown that you could reduce the chance of being a victim by 25%. Neighbourhood Watch schemes are owned and operated by their members, supported by the Police with crime information and advice. If you are interested then please contact the Buckinghamshire Council Community Safety Team on 01494 586535 or e-mail communitysafety.csb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
The scheme gives you the confidence to call in suspicious incidents. You know your neighbourhood better than anyone else. If something is not sitting right with you, act on this and do not be afraid to call the police. If you think it could be a burglary then call 999.
All 6 of these techniques are almost cost free. If you are thinking of spending some money then a burglar alarm system is great. We are having excellent results on the back of video doorbells and the price of these are around £50, which is affordable, and gives you an improved sense of security.
So let's make it as hard as possible for these low life to get away with your hard earned goods.
Yours sincerely
PS Darren Walsh
Amersham Neighbourhood Team
Message Sent By
Darren Walsh (Police, Sgt, Amersham)
Last year we worked closely with Neighbourhood Watch to get more people signed up to the scheme. In the last year we developed a police operations with NHW, where members of NHW were briefed with relevant intelligence of issues that were happening in our area with a dedicated response team to deal with your calls who are on patrol in the afternoons into the evenings.
Improving your security
There are a host of things that we can do to make our properties safer. I am going to concentrate on 6 low cost areas which can prevent some burglaries from occurring.
1: Keep your doors locked at all times. This is the first port of call for a burglar. I have reviewed several cases CCTV where offenders brazenly pull onto the victims driveway, check the door handle and then call at the address.
Challenge your family when they leave the doors unlocked. This is a common problem as I have experienced.
2: Use your Window locks. It’s all very well having window locks but are you using them. Again this is a common method of entry so let’s make sure that the burglar can’t just open it and wipe the glass away. If it is locked there will be an increased risk of DNA transfer. It’s coming into winter so let’s lock the window and have the key in a safe place nearby.
3: Keyless technology. Make sure that your keys are in a safe location where car thieves can’t target them.Keyless car thefts. With the innovation of keyless cars we are finding a huge increase in cars being stolen without burglars even having to enter the home address. Investigations have shown that criminals are going up to front doors and scanning car keys through the front door. As people start to adapt to this new threat so do the criminals. A recent case showed a burglar going to the rear of the property and using garden furniture as a way to get higher to try and obtain a signal.
Please be careful with your car keys, at home and when out and about, and be aware of the risks when left next to the front door on the sideboard or a coat pocket. Metal Faraday tins can be used to block car keys signals (Cost around £12 )or a signal blocker pouches can be purchased (for around £6).
4: Lock your gate. Stop people from having free access to the rear or side of your house. Go one step further and get pet friendly prick a strip for the top of your walls, gates and fences.
5: Keep a light on principles. Make it looks like someone is up and around. Use timer switches, have a radio on or use a fake TV light display to give the illusion you are in. Burglars do not want to get caught and will target somewhere else. Top tip (from Mr G) If you have Amazon Alexa, you can say 'open burglar deterrent' and it will make the house sound like it is occupied including the occasional dog barking. It will remain on until you arrive home and turn it off.
6; Set up a Neighbourhood Watch. A Neighbourhood Watch is a great way to get to know your neighbours so that you can build up community resilience. The scheme is free and some studies have shown that you could reduce the chance of being a victim by 25%. Neighbourhood Watch schemes are owned and operated by their members, supported by the Police with crime information and advice. If you are interested then please contact the Buckinghamshire Council Community Safety Team on 01494 586535 or e-mail communitysafety.csb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
The scheme gives you the confidence to call in suspicious incidents. You know your neighbourhood better than anyone else. If something is not sitting right with you, act on this and do not be afraid to call the police. If you think it could be a burglary then call 999.
All 6 of these techniques are almost cost free. If you are thinking of spending some money then a burglar alarm system is great. We are having excellent results on the back of video doorbells and the price of these are around £50, which is affordable, and gives you an improved sense of security.
So let's make it as hard as possible for these low life to get away with your hard earned goods.
Yours sincerely
PS Darren Walsh
Amersham Neighbourhood Team
Message Sent By
Darren Walsh (Police, Sgt, Amersham)
