Keeping yourself from becoming another statistic
Posted Feb 17, 2011 12:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With a rising number of break and enters, particularly in the city’s northwest, Calgary Police want you to keep yourself from becoming another statistic.
They’re offering up tips on how you can avoid becoming a victim, starting with making sure your home looks lived in at all times.
“Keep your sidewalk always shovelled from snow, your lights on, even when you’re at home, and you probably want to keep your doors locked because we have had incidents where people just walk into the house,” suggests Constable Jeff Wilson.
It’s also important to make sure your vehicle doors are locked and the windows sealed at all times.
Wilson says for most thieves, getting their hands on the garage door opener is like winning the jack-pot.
Police add it’s important to keep valuables out of sight.
According to local law enforcement, it’s also a good idea to keep tabs of your property and record serial numbers, that way your possessions can be returned easily if they are recovered and can also assist you in making a claim with your insurance company.
With investigations into drugs and other criminal activities, often stolen property is recovered and if it can be identified, it helps in charging the offenders.
Finally Wilson says it’s important to keep tabs of your neighbourhood and if you see something suspicious, contact police immediately.
“Obviously with the rise in house break and enters and what not, we want to make sure that we can get there before anything has the opportunity to happen,” says Wilson.
Your neighbours, he says, are your first line of defence.
