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A message from Senior Sergeant Roy Appley
Being safe and feeling safe starts with you.
Police and our partners like Neighbourhood Support and Community Patrols work hand in hand to promote community safety. Observation, visibility, raising awareness and responding to trends all help strengthen communities and reduce crimes like burglary and vehicle thefts. Police actively target known criminals and hold them to account for their actions. Information provided by community members can often be the missing piece of an investigation and can lead to a successful prosecution. I encourage you to report all suspicious behaviour, people and vehicles, to help prevent a crime occurring. If something doesn’t look right, then it probably isn’t. Call 111 if a crime is happening now, or use 105 online if it’s already happened. Don’t let suspicious behaviour make victims of your neighbours.
Throughout the holiday season burglary can increase. Simple things like securing valuable items, locking gates and outbuildings and asking a trusted person to keep an eye on your home while you’re away can all help prevent burglary. If you have a house alarm, remember to set it. If your vehicle is left outside, make sure you remove all items - even things like sunglasses or shoes. As the weather gets warmer, it’s tempting to leave windows open when you’re going out. Even with window stays on, open windows offer easy entry into your home, so make sure you close all your windows properly before you leave the house. Strong and safe communities only happen when individuals take an active interest in their immediate environment.
Joining Neighbourhood Support or a Community Patrol can give confidence to communities that people look out for each other; promoting wellbeing and helping us all feel safe.
Contact details can be found on page 62 for Neighbourhood Support and Community Patrols. Have a safe and happy Christmas season, take care of your property, take care on the roads and take care of each other.
Regards
