WITH many properties in British Forces Germany (BFG) being vacated over the coming months, the area’s crime prevention co-ordinator has the following advice designed to make criminals take more time, make more noise and be more visible…

DOORS

  • Always fully lock all doors when leaving the house.
  • Never leave the key in the inside of any doors.
  • Always put the security chain on the door overnight.
  • Never leave a spare key ‘hidden’ under a plant pot or anywhere obvious where it can be easily found.

WINDOWS

  • Never leave the ground floor windows open when not at home.
  • Always lock the ground floor windows, even if they are closed.
  • Never leave the keys in the locks, or within 1 metre of the windows.

LIGHTS

  • Always make sure that all your external lights are working.
  • Always fit a bright enough bulb to the external lights. Use ‘energy-saving’ bulbs to keep costs down.>
  • Always switch the external lights on at night.
  • Always replace a faulty bulb immediately.

GARDEN

  • Never leave things in the garden that can be used to break into your home (ie garden tools or ladders).
  • Always lock any garden shed with a good quality padlock and hasp. The padlock should have a ‘closed’ shackle at least 7mm thick, otherwise it’s too easy to cut off.
  • Always lock your pedal cycles to a fixed object if kept in the garden and use a lock at least 16mm thick. Any less is too easy to cut.

OTHER

  • Always report any suspicious activity immediately to the police (RMP or German Police). Give the best possible description of vehicles and people.
  • Always lock your garage, even if your car is not in it.

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