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.