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Marking your property is one of the simplest and most effective ways of protecting your possessions, especially, new bikes

Marking your valuable property with your name or address is easy and effective. If your property is ever stolen, it makes it more difficult to sell on, and it makes it easier for the police to trace your belongings back to you if found.

Two methods

Police recommend two ways to mark your property:

1. engraving or punching your address and postcode into your property
2. marking antiques or valuable property with an ultra-violet marker

How to do it

For the first method, use a fine drill or sharp-pointed tool (inexpensive permanent marking kits can be purchased at most home improvement stores) to neatly mark your equipment with your address and postcode.

For bicycles, mowers, engines and other heavy metal objects, you can use a punching tool and a hammer to mark your address and post code.

For the second method, you can purchase permanent ultra-violet (UV) marker pens and mark the same information on more valuable possessions. The marks will be invisible to the naked eye.

However, UV marks will fade with time and should be redone periodically.

When police recover stolen property, they search them for any markings that might identify the owners, so this is a good way to ensure that you can get your property back should it ever be stolen.

Security Tips

DISTRACTION BURGLARY:

Be on your guard for bogus callers. Callers may pretend to be officials from an organization such as the council or your utility company when in fact they want to trick, steal or overcharge you for work they may carry out.

Don’t be frightened - most visitors are genuine, but it makes sense to be aware.

1.      STOP - Before you answer the door, stop and think if you are expecting anyone. Make sure your rear door and any other doors leading outside are locked before you approach the front door.

2.      CHAIN - Open the door with the chain or door bar in place. A door bar or chain acts as a useful barrier when talking to unexpected callers. Talk through a window if you can. 

3.      CHECK - Always ask for ID. Genuine callers will always have identification. If you are still uncertain, phone the organization and confirm the person’s identity. Genuine callers will be happy to wait.

Some companies have password protection schemes where they will supply you with a password that only you and the caller will know.

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes are proven to reduce burglary and deter bogus callers.

Visit www.neighbourhoodwatch.net or call 020 7772 3348 for more details.

If you are in any doubt do not let them in, keep everything locked, dial 999 and ask for the police.

If you think you have been a victim, report it to the police straight away. Give them a description of the caller and notify your neighbourhood watch coordinator or representative so they can warn others in the area.

It is important you report such crime as it is highly unlikely you will have been the only victim.

Security Tips

Bogus calls designed to convince you to hand over your credit card or bank details are a real problem. Be cautious.

If you are contacted by telephone and told that you have won a prize, think for a minute: did you enter any competitions? dds are you didn’t.

The vast majority of the time, these calls is scams, originating from abroad and designed to convince you to give over personal details such as your bank account number or credit card information.

Just hang up

If this happens to you, just hang up the phone. If you ever do win, you will never be asked for personal details, nor would you ever have to pay anything in order to collect your winnings - that’s a sure sign that something is wrong.

Many people have been taken in by these scams, and some have lost their entire life savings.

Don’t be one of them.

1. never give out personal details over the phone
2. always ask for more information
3. be sure you know who you’re talking to
4. keep your bank account details safe

Security Tips

Research has shown more than half of bogus caller crimes committed in the UK are carried out by criminals pretending to be from a water company.

This has led to the water industry joining forces with local Police and the government to launch a national campaign to raise awareness of this crime.

Statistics show that around 35 bogus caller crime are committed every day in the UK, but it is believed  that this might only be 10% of the total number of incidents that actually take place as victims often feel too embarrassed to report it to the Police. These statistics make for grim reading, but it helps to reinforce that this type of crime is becoming quite common.

In the past, bogus callers have targeted areas where the United Utilities has been carrying out maintenance work and will use this opportunity to trick themselves into customers homes claiming to be from United Utilities or the “Water Board”. Once inside, they will then distract the homeowner while the accomplice helps themselves to money or valuables.

United Utilities employees always carry ID and will be happy to show this card to you when they visit your home. If the person claiming to be from United Utilities doesn’t have the ID cards or you are concerned that the card isn’t valid.

United Utilities do operate a password protection scheme which is one of the most effective ways to avoid bogus callers. It’s a very simple deterrent that really does work and will give you confidence to turn people away.

Tips on how to avoid doorstep crime

1.       Take care when opening doors and always ask for identification.

2.       Do not agree to have any work done on your property unless you get a second opinion as to whether you actually need the work doing or not.

3.       Do not agree to any work where the caller says they are only in the area today.

4.       For the contract to be completed successfully by both parties, the trader must serve you with a notice of cancellation rights, giving you details of how to cancel.

5.       If you do agree to work being carried out, then you have a short time period in which to cancel the contract after it has been signed.

6.       Choose a reliable tradesman; ask families and friends for recommendations.

7.       Do not pay any money up front.

8.       Do not accept transport from the tradesman to your bank or building society, in order to withdraw money to pay for the work.

9.       Say no if you feel pressurized.

10.   If in doubt contact Consumer Advice or the Police.

Security Tips

According to Home Office research, people aged 60 and over are less likely to become victims of crime than those in other age groups. You can lower the risk of attack or burglary further by following simple preventative steps. Making yourself safer does not mean changing your whole lifestyle or becoming trapped in your own home.

1. Always lock outside doors and close the windows even if you are just going out for a short time. But when you lock up while you are inside (for example at night), keep your keys nearby so that you can get out easily in case of an emergency;
2. Draw the curtains in the evening, when the room is lit;
3. Don’t give keys to people you do not know well such as workmen - they can make copies - but keep a spare set with a person you trust;
4. Change the locks if you think somebody else might have another copy of your keys, for example a previous tenant;
5. Do not leave your spare keys in obvious places such as under a flower pot or doormat or hanging inside the letterbox;
6. Look through the ‘spy hole’ and put the door chain on before you open the door;
7. Only take the chain off and admit the caller if you are sure about their identity and purpose of their visit;
8. Do not keep the chain on all the time; it will prevent someone with a door key entering - for example a home help or the emergency services;
9. Keep your garden tools and ladders locked away;
10. Keep valuable items out of sight;
11. If you think you have been broken into, do not go inside as the burglar might still be inside. Call the police.

Security Tips