Please be aware the impact on burglary that can occur now the darker nights are here.
Please follow the advice given below and report any suspicious incidents to West Mercia Police.
Burglary and the Darker Nights
• Dark evenings can provide perfect cover for burglars who can easily spot an open window in an unoccupied room, see your valuables through open curtains or blinds, or try their luck with an unlocked door while you’re distracted. Try to make your house look as occupied as possible when you are not there. Use timer switches to control lighting or radios
• Don’t leave your house and vehicle keys in the lock or on a side table in view of a window making it easy for a thief to fish them through your letterbox
• Always lock your front door from inside - in particular UPVC front doors that have handles, as they are often left unlocked when people are in their house.
• Check your UPVC or Euro cylinder door lock to see if it is snap resistant. I should be stamped with a three star Kite Mark. If it is not, you get the lock changed to either a SS312 Diamond Approved Cylinder, TS007 3 Star Kite marked Cylinder, or a 1 Star Cylinder with 2 Star handle for maximum protection. For more information contact the Master Locksmiths Association,.
• Keep front and back doors locked at all times and keep keys and valuables out of sight and reach from cat flaps, letterboxes and downstairs doors and windows
• Close, and ideally lock, all windows when you're not in the room – approximately one in four burglaries in the county still happen because doors have been left unlocked or windows left open
• Make sure your door is well lit and fully visible from the street – dusk-to-dawn lamp adaptors are available from DIY stores
• Check existing lighting is in good working order and replace any faulty equipment – remember to check batteries in torches and smoke alarms
• Keep shrubbery and hedges at the front of the house pruned to below one metre – remove any cover for a burglar to work unseen and give your neighbours every chance to spot something suspicious
• Keep curtains closed at night – if you are away, ask a trusted neighbour to close them for you, and open them again in the morning
• Secure sheds and outbuildings with good padlocks and consider fitting alarms. Lock all tools and ladders away securely
• Use 24hr timer switches to power lighting or radios