Safety at home and in the community

Community safety

Although it is the job of the police to fight crime, all of  us in Stevenage can help to reduce crime. Most crime is against property, not people, and not many crimes are carefully planned. Most crimes are committed on the spur of the moment, for example: theft of possessions left in a car or burglary of a house by entry through an open door or window.

You can reduce the risk by securing your home and car. This will also help the police, by giving them more time to tackle serious crime. That's good for you and your family - because it makes your neighbourhood a safer place.

Challenging the fear of crime

The chances that you, or a member of your family will be a victim of crime are low. Crimes, and especially violent crimes, are still comparatively rare. Nevertheless, many people are frightened that they, or someone close to them, will be the victim of crime.

The best way to minimise the risks of crime are by taking sensible precautions. Most people already do this as part of their everyday lives, often without realising it. Sensible precautions limit risk and reduce crime.

The following guidance is aimed at informing people of some of the very straightforward ways in which they can reduce crime for themselves and their community.

Personal safety

• Use only your surname and initials in the telephone directory and on the doorplate. That way a stranger won't know if a man or a woman lives there.
• If you see signs of a break-in at your home, like a smashed window or open door, don't go in. Go to a neighbour and call the police.
• If you are selling your home, don't show people around on your own. Ask your estate agent to send a representative with anyone who wants to view your house.
• When you answer the phone, simply say 'hello' and don't give your number. If the caller claims to have a wrong number, ask him or her to repeat the number required. Never reveal any information about yourself to a stranger and never say you are alone in the house.
• If you receive an abusive or threatening phone call, don't talk. Put the phone down and always let the police know. If the calls continue speak to your telephone company about their nuisance phone call procedure.

Your home

Many burglaries can be prevented. Most are committed by opportunist thieves, and in two burglaries out of ten the thief does not have to force his way in because a door or window has been left open. Burglars like easy opportunities. They don't like locked windows because breaking glass attracts attention. They don't like security deadlocks on doors because they cannot open them even from the inside and they have to get out through a window. Simple precautions like these do work:

Looking after your flat

Make sure your front door is bolted. It should be as strongly built as the main outside door of the block. If it isn't, get another one or ask your local council to do it. Fit hinge bolts which stop someone pulling the door from its hinges. And fix a special steel strip into the doorframe.

Door entry systems

If your block does not have a telephone entry system, talk to the landlord or council about putting one in. This may be easier if you get together with other tenants to form a tenants' association. If you do have a telephone entry system, don't let strangers in or hold the door open for someone who is arriving as you are leaving.

Strangers

Be alert to people loitering in residential streets. If it is no one you recognise, call the police.

Burglar alarms

Visible burglar alarms make burglars think twice.

Front door roof

A thief could reach first floor windows from this roof - so fit window locks.

Gates and fences

A high wall or fence at the back of a house can put off a burglars. Check for weak spots where a thief could get in. A thorny hedge along a boundary can also be a useful deterrent. Make sure the front of the house is still visible to passers by, so that a burglar can't work unseen.

Small windows

Even small windows like casement windows, skylights or bathroom fanlights need locks. A thief can get in through any gap larger than a human head.

Spare keys

Never leave a spare key in a hiding place like under a doormat, in a flowerpot or inside a letterbox - a thief will look there first.

Garages and sheds

Never leave a garage or garden shed unlocked, especially if it has a connecting door to the house. Lock tools and ladders away so that a thief cannot use them to break in.

Side passages

Stop a thief from getting to the back of the house - where he can work with less chance of being seen - by fitting a bolt on a high gate across the passage. If you share an alleyway with a neighbour, talk to him or her about sharing the cost.

In the home

• Make sure your house or flat is secure. Always secure outside doors. Fit barrel locks top and bottom. If you have to use a key, keep it nearby - you may need to get out quickly in the event of fire.
• If you are buying or renting a new house or flat, ask the builders or landlord to fit window locks, deadlocks and bolts on the doors.
• If your Housing Association or Council house or flat is not secure, ask for something to be done. As well as giving you peace of mind, it will encourage them to improve the security of their properties as a routine feature of refurbishment.
• If other people such as previous tenants could still have keys that fit, change the locks. Don't give keys to workmen or tradesmen, as they can easily make copies.
• If you wake to hear the sound of an intruder, only you can decide how best to handle the situation. You may want to lie quietly to avoid attracting attention to yourself, in the hope that they will leave. Or you may feel more confident if you switch on the lights and make a lot of noise by moving about. Even if you're on your own, call out loudly to an imaginary companion - most burglars will flee empty-handed rather than risking a confrontation. Ring the police as soon as it's safe for you to do so. A telephone extension in your bedroom will make you feel more secure as it allows you to call the police immediately, without alerting the intruder.
• Draw your curtains after dark. If you think there is a prowler outside - dial 999 - and always tell the operator exactly what is happening.

Car parks

• When parking in a public car park - look for one that is well supervised with restricted entry and exit points, good lighting and security cameras. In multi-storey car parks, choose a widely visible bay.
• Car parks can be a target for thieves and a source of fear for many people. A police scheme - 'Secured Car Parks' - aims to make car parks safer and more attractive places by setting high crime prevention standards for internal design and layout. Those measuring up are entitled to display the official gold or silver 'Secured Car Parks' emblem. To find out about 'Secured Car Parks' in your area, contact the crime prevention officer at your local police station.

Our community

There is a lot we can do outside our home and family to prevent crime. We can take action by getting together with other people and working in partnership with the police and the Council to reduce crime in our Borough. We can help by simply being alert and observant when out and about in our neighbourhoods - or we could apply to join the local Neighbourhood Watch or Special Constabulary. Anyone can play some part, however great or small.

Roads, footpaths and subways

You can help to maintain a safer environment by reporting to the authorities if streets, footpaths and subways are not well lit.

Building design

Developers and local authorities should demand that new developments like housing estates, shopping precincts and car parks are designed to minimise the opportunities for criminals, and to create attractive and welcoming environments.

Schools

Arson and vandalism cost schools dearly - between five and ten per cent of some education authorities' maintenance budgets are spent repairing vandalism damage. The money could be spent elsewhere by reducing vandalism through good design, sensible security measures and better management practices. Ask what your children's school is doing to prevent vandalism and the risk of arson.

Home insurance

Does your insurance company offer discounts on home insurance if you are a member of Neighbourhood Watch? If not, try to find an insurance company who does.

Mobile phones

Every mobile phone has a unique IMEI number - Dial*#06# to get yours and make a note of it so that if it is stolen, you can give it to the police to help recover, or to your service provider to stop the phone being used by anyone else.

Young people

Young people, especially young men, are vulnerable to being victims of crime, and young people sometimes suffer bullying, harassment robbery (particularly theft of mobile phones). The Community Safety Partnership is keen to work with young people to develop youth crime prevention, aiming to prevent young people from become victims of crime or anti-social behaviour.

Think safe and be safe - if you know that there are risks make sure that you don't take them.

Tackling anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour can range from noisy neighbours to neighbourhood disputes and from aggressive or threatening behaviour to vandalism. Some of this behaviour is unlawful and some of it is just simply a nuisance. What it does have in common is that it raises the fear of crime, lowers the standards of an area and, very often, is the entry point for areas to become crime hot spots.

We are committed to challenging and reducing such behaviour and are keen to tackle the problems of anti social behaviour.

We are also working with the police and housing associations to reduce the problems in other areas, through the introduction of Neighbourhood Wardens and the implementation of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (targeted at the most intractable of offenders) and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABC's).

It is important that members of the public let our services know of problems immediately they arise. Don't wait for the problems to get to boiling point; as that enables the Council to better plan and better deal with those problems before they become too big.

Developing a local neighbourhood watch

Neighbourhood watch schemes are a way for people in an area to get together to help prevent crime and make their neighbourhood a safer place.

Groups can vary in size, depending on the area and what people want. They target local concerns - like burglary, vandalism or graffiti and devise ways of dealing with them. Individual members decide how active they want to be in the scheme. You could become a committee member or even co-ordinator of a group - or your part could be just keeping an eye on your neighbours' houses while they're away.

Schemes develop close links with the police, who can provide advice and information about local problems. Well-run schemes can have a big impact on local crime.

For more information contact the Council's Community Safety unit:
email - communitysafety@stevenage.gov.uk
Telephone - 01438 242943