Police on the Isle of Wight are reminding residents to take simple security precautions to protect their homes during Christmas and New Year.
Our ‘Lights On’ burglary prevention campaign continues during December. Over 300 timer switches already have been given to residents who are making their homes safer. Please contact us for a timer switch to help deter burglars targeting your property when you’re out. Phone your local Safer Neighbourhoods team on 101.
· SmartWater: a non-hazardous liquid, which can be used to mark property, or as a spray to shower intruders when they enter premises protected by the system. Each batch has a unique ‘DNA-type’ forensic code, tying its use to a specific location or item of property. Once a suspect has been sprayed, the SmartWater will fluoresce brightly as offenders walk under ultraviolet lights when they’re brought into custody at police stations.
For more information, go to
http://www.saferwight.org.uk/, the website for the Isle of Wight Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP).
· Keep valuable items out of view – if you have electrical equipment worth hundreds of pounds, don’t keep it by the window where passers-by can see it.
· Never leave a key under a doormat, or on a string through the letterbox – it’s the first place any burglar will look.
· Make sure you secure all your doors and windows every time you leave the house, even if you are ‘just popping out’.
Log onto
www.hampshire.police.uk, and click on the ‘Safer Homes’ section for more information .