The police are urging residents to be especially aware during the holiday season and take all safety precautions possible to secure their property as burglaries and robberies increase during the Christmas season.
The RCIPS has issued some holiday crime awareness and safety tips, the police urged residents to lock all entrance and interior doors as a general rule and to keep valuables and small electronics, such as jewelry, tablets, gaming systems, and cellphones, locked away while you are out.
Police are advising people to wait until the last minute to put presents under the tree as visible gifts while you are away from home at work, as they are an incentive for someone to break in.
People are advised to increase outdoor lighting, leave lights on at entrance points such as doors and windows or using motion sensors. Residents should make sure that decorations don’t hinder the function of the doors and windows or make them easier to open or break into from the outside. Police also advise people to test their homes by locking up the property as you would to leave the house and then try to get in through all the windows and doors to see if you have any issues you weren’t aware of.
The RCIPS is also encouraging businesses to practice some of these methods as well, and to employ additional security and staff during the busy season and for businesses opening later than usual to use proper lighting inside and outside. Alarm systems and signs can deter criminal activities, and panic alarms are useful in the event of an emergency where you are not able to call the police. Security cameras can be used to protect your business and detect several types of crimes that may be committed, the police stated.
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