The latest crime figures have been released and according to the statistics, crime in England and Wales is down by 9% (source). Good news to hear that thefts, burglaries and fraud are all on a downward trend. But, just how honest are the figures? Like many statistics, they can be manipulated. For example, not all crime reported is included in the findings (serious crimes such as murder are excluded) then there are the crimes that also go unreported.

However, in saying all that, any drop in crime has to be a good thing. But, let’s not start leaving our front doors and windows open just yet, as we pop down to the local shops. We have to remember that there are some people out there that are only too happy to take advantage and WILL take what is not theirs.
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The Sun didn’t disappoint over the weekend and made a much anticipated appearance. What a few days we’ve had, with the temperatures hitting the high twenties in most parts of Britain, people have made the most of their weekend by either relaxing in beer gardens, public parks, beaches or BBQ’s in the gardens.

With the temperature being so high many of us have had the windows open in our homes to let the air circulate, even when driving the car the heat can be unbearable, so the windows are rolled down, and don’t forget the owners of convertibles driving round with the roof down. All of these are typical trademarks of a heatwave and an invitation for the opportunistic thief to start their Summer pilfering business.

Next time your in the garden with the music blaring away, consider if the front of your house is secure – open windows are an invitation for an unwelcome hand coming through your front window or even worse entering your home and snatching anything they can carry which they might deem valuable. The same can be said while your out and about driving your car, just because your in your vehicle doesn’t mean you are immune to theft, it only takes a thief a couple of seconds to reach in through an open window while your stationary, waiting for the lights to change, and snatch valuables out of your car.

Next time your enjoying the high temperatures, spare a thought about your home and car security. Remember, hide all valuables, place windows on the security setting and lock all doors – sure, ventilate your home but do so in a secure way.

Enjoy the warm weather and keep thieves out.

Businessmen and landowners are getting fed up with people trespassing through their private property, whether they are using it for short-cuts or for more suspicious circumstances. There are many great deterrents that you can try to keep your possessions safe such as burglar alarms, perimeter alarms and security lighting.

With this in mind here’s a story which takes home/business security to a whole new level.
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Britain’s got Talent winners Diversity have been asked by Leicestershire Police Force to help spread the word about personal safety for students whilst attending their University. The group will be making a short film telling students about the dangers of nights out, walking alone and that all their private possessions hshould be locked away and marked with property marking UV pens.

PC Harvey Watson local policeman who enlisted the help of Diversity says :

“Groups like Diversity are what the youth of today are following so I thought that they would be a good way to get important crime prevention messages out there.”
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During the month of December 2009 the Church of England was in an uproar as one of its Reverends was giving a sermon at Sunday Service teaching us that during times of economic depression it was ok to steal products from shops – so long as they were taken from large national stores rather than small family owned shops and businesses.

The Reverend Tim Jones, a parish priest in the North of England says he was merely pointing out that when “every sociable acceptable avenue has been shut down, then the only avenue left is the unacceptable one”. Surely as a member of the faith HE must know that one of the Commandments is “thou shalt not steal” in-fact it is No 8 in a very short list of ten, so why is this man of the cloth telling less fortunate people to steal?
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How good are your local police? Want to find out what crimes are taking place in your home town? Well an internet system has now come online which will allow anyone to see just how good their local policing authorities are. Developed by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) the crime map will show you what the crime is like in 43 policing areas in England and Wales. Want to go out shopping in a different part of town no problem just type in the post code and instantly you have at your fingertips all of the crime statistics for that particular area, again with more and more people taking up ‘power walking’ or jogging, again this system will show you how safe the particular area has been.
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Britain is the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) capital of the world, with more than 4.2 million of the cameras just waiting to snap a video of you doing something wrong. Do they actually work and are they beneficial to the rest of the law abiding citizens? Some will argue that it is a waste of tax payer’s money while others may think that it cuts crime and anti social behaviour. Under a new scheme being introduced in Stratford-upon-Avon tagged ‘Internet Eyes’ members of the public will be paid up to £1000 to watch as many as 4 CCTV cameras and report anything out of the ordinary.
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In a recent report from the Home Office it was mentioned that burglary had fallen over the last decade, however in another report released by a leading Insurance company in January found that break-ins were up by 4% over the last quarter of last year and predicted that it would get worse as the recession bites.

Who do we believe?

No matter, all we can do is try our best to protect our homes and possessions. We can install the latest home security, cctv cameras and window guards then we can head off on our annual holidays thinking our property is all safe. As we pack our cases getting ready for the holiday our kids are on Facebook or Twitter – all full of excitement – telling everyone that we are going on holiday and that our property will be empty for the next 2 weeks.
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The new head of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has been announced, Sir Ian Andrews will head Britain’s fight against serious crime. This multi-million pound organisation will work with the Police in its endeavour to cut crime. There are a few people who are shocked by the decision to make Sir Ian the head of this organisation, due to the fact that he has no Police training and spent most of his life as a civil servant.
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