When it comes to tackling crime and opportunistic theft there are several security devices that can be used to help with your personal protection as well as protecting your home or business. In an ideal world we wouldn’t need to protect and alarm our personal possessions. Long gone are the ‘good old days’ when you could ‘up and leave your front and back doors open while you were out’. Do that today and you’re asking for trouble.

However, it is not all bad news. Here at Crime Prevention Products we’re always on the lookout for new ways to help fight against crime. One such project, which has caught our attention, is teaching youths how to train and keep Racing Pigeons. The scheme, which won a Crime Reduction Award when rolled out in Scotland and is now on trial in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Woody Allen once described Pigeons as ‘Rats with Wings’, however, there have been numerous famous personalities that have kept Pigeons including Walt Disney, Elvis Presley, Mike Tyson and Queen Elizabeth II

These birds are now being used to encourage teenagers, who have either been expelled from school or are a high-risk of doing so, away from a life of crime. The youngsters involved in the project are given ownership of a Pigeon and taught to care and train the bird eventually progressing to racing the pigeon – so far, the feedback has been highly positive.

This is only one of the many schemes that are are being rolled out across the country in an attempt to curb the rising burglary figures, and until the crime rate falls to a level akin to the ‘good old days’ we’ll still have to rely on our home security systems to make sure our possessions don’t sprout wings and fly away.

Over the last few months, we’ve seen protests, demonstrations and marches up and down the country, most of these have been aimed at the Coalition Government and the unavoidable cost cutting policies. Although, it is unfortunate that cuts need to be taken within sensitive departments such as policing, hospitals and local councils, many fear that the cuts have been too excessive.

It’s been reported that due to the expected cuts in our policing, some criminal activity will be simply ‘screened out‘ by the authorities. It’s estimated that as many as one in three crimes will be ‘binned‘ as there is little chance of them ever being solved. Even crimes such as burglary, sexual offences, criminal damage and theft from cars will be simply left. Geoffrey Cox, the Tory MP for Torridge and West Devon was extremely concerned about the “exceedingly large number of crimes that are consigned to oblivion at a stage where no investigation has been conducted at all” he also pointed there is “a victim behind every figure” (source opens in new window).

As the reality of having less money in departmental pockets alongside long term unemployment bites – some people will turn to desperate measures in an attempt to make ends meet. Over the last six months, sexual offences, theft, robberies and domestic burglary have all risen from last year’s figures. With our police being stretched to maximum due to financial constraints there is a chance if you’re a victim of any of the above-mentioned crimes there is a 1 in 3 chance of it never being solved?

Protecting your loved ones, your home and your possessions must be a number one priority. That’s why we at Crime Prevention Products have a complete security solution for your home and family. Our range of wireless burglar alarms are perfect for alerting you and your neighbours that someone is attempting to gain entry to your home. Personal alarms are an ideal accessory to carry when you’re out and about. Then there is our range of driveway alarms which can enable you to be aware that someone is approaching your home or business.

By installing even the basics of home security devices you can give your property and your possessions a better chance of not being burgled.

It has been reported this week that The World’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, has been killed in a planned attack by American special forces. As the news began to filter through, many americans, that are perhaps not accustomed to condoning violence, found themselves partying and rejoicing at the demise of this head of terror. Thus giving closure to many families. Osama bin Laden and al-Qa’ida have been attributed to the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans in the 9/11 atrocity as well as the Bali bombings the London Transport 7/7 bombings and numerous other terrorist attacks throughout The World. The killing of Osama bin Laden has been seen as a major triumph against organised terrorism worldwide.

President Barack Obama announced yesterday that “The world is safer. It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden,”. However, as a result of his death the British and American Embassies around the world have been put on hight alert amid concerns of possible reprisal attacks by al-Qa’ida. After the death of their leader several Islamic militant forums were alive with vows to avenge bin Laden’s death.

It has been reported that ‘al-Qa’ida terror cells’ may try to avenge the death of their symbolic leader and that the terror attacks may continue for some time. In-fact the British Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday that the West should be “particularly vigilant.”

Britain is currently standing at a ‘severe’ terrorist threat level (source) and with news filtering out that the Police arrested five men, all from London, close to the Sellafield nuclear plant yesterday (the men were allegedly filming/taking photographs of the nuclear site) under counterterrorism laws now in force – Section 41 of the Terrorism Act, allows for people suspected of terrorist offences to be held for questioning up to 48 hours without charge – it’s expected this level will remain for the time being. The five arrested men, are all believed to be Bangladeshi. Four houses in east London were also raided yesterday by counter-terror detectives as part of the investigation claimed Scotland Yard. A small container was removed from one of the addresses.

As usual, it is best to aware in these circumstances, especially when using public transport and report anything suspicious to the Police or local authorities.

On the 29th of April 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton will be married at Westminster Abbey thus encouraging many people, not only those in Britain, but around The World to join in with the Royal Wedding celebrations. This day has been recommended as a Public Holiday, therefore many industries, businesses and shops will be closed, so that the majority of us can help the Royal Couple celebrate their union.

However, as recent demonstrations in the ‘heart of London’ have shown, this will not be seen as a day of celebration for some. Potential anarchists have stated that they will be targetting this day to voice their anger over rising ‘tuition fees’ and governmental ‘spending cuts’ causing a major headache to the policing authorities that are planning the Royal Wedding security.

Security fears just don’t happen in major cities at major events they can happen in any street, in any town or village and with ‘wedding’ fever hitting our country this weekend, everyone has to think about their own home and personal security. We love a good party in Britain and some towns and villages will be hosting their very own ‘Royal Wedding’ celebrations where everyone will be welcome to come along and enjoy the fun.

Unfortunately, as people are celebrating, uninvited guests such as burglars will be busy helping themselves to other peoples goods. Street parties can be exploited by opportunistic thieves by operating pickpocketing gangs at organised events to ransacking homes, businesses and shops. Home insurance companies warn that Public Holidays usually bring an increase in burglary claims (source).

When it comes to protecting your home or business, Crime Prevention Products, have a vast array of security products, such as Wireless Burglar Alarms, that will ensure that while you’re out partying your home, business or shop will be safe.

It has to be every parents nightmare – to hear that something terrible has happened at their child’s school. The anguish as they try to find out any news, the worry that their child might be hurt and the anger that something terrible has happened in a supposedly safe environment. After all, parents send their children to school to be taught not to be injured.

However, just last week a 14 year old was standing outside her school in Stourbridge, West Midlands when an 18 year old walked up to her and repeatedly stabbed her causing several wounds to her upper body and face. A police spokesperson said that Chloe West had to be airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she underwent surgery (source), Thankfully, Chloe is said to be making a full recovery.

Parents and teachers understand that school can often be a tough time for students and some will be subjected to bullying, peer pressure and even violence from knife or gun crimes. Nobody wishes to hear news reports that pupils have been attacked in their own school as this can often be very distressing to all involved. A fact of life is that crime and violence does happen in schools and it may disturb you to know that there were over 80,000 suspensions for school violence (attacking Teachers & Pupils) in 2010.

Here at Crime Prevention Products we can supply an number of security hardware such as CCTV camera systems, Drive Way alarms as well as Hand Held Metal Detectors which are designed to detect handguns from 28cms – penknife from 15cms and even a Razor Blade from 9cms making sure that your premises are secure as you wish.

Last Sunday, Scottish football said a massive goodbye to the Co-Operative Insurance, after a magnificent 12 years sponsorship deal with the League Cup. It ended after Sunday’s showcase Old Firm final in which Rangers managed to beat their Glasgow rivals Celtic 2-1 and lift the cup for an unprecedented 27th time. From next year, the new tournament will be known as the Scottish Communities League Cup, which will be funded by money seized from acts of crime. This ‘dirty money’ has been confiscated from bent companies, gangland bosses and proceeds of crime and will be worth an estimated £1 million each year to the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

However, this confiscated money will not only go towards the professional football game, it will be put back into the community to help with various Scottish youth projects as well as helping local football clubs, authorities and even the police in tackling alcohol misuse, sectarianism, racism, as well as violence and domestic abuse.

This new sponsorship deal has came about as a direct result of the recent Old Firm Summit held after a volatile Scottish Cup replay encounter between the same two clubs on March 2nd. The Scottish Football League (SFL) executive David Longmuir said “The SFL and Scottish football will now work closely with the Scottish Government to make sure we deliver an exciting and engaging programme of activity around the Scottish Communities League Cup, which we hope will inspire the nation.”

Here at Crime Prevention Products we like to here about seized goods from criminal activities going to worthwhile projects. Which just goes to prove that crime doesn’t pay.

We now live in a time where technology is readily available to give us a helping hand, thus making everyday chores that little bit easier. Here at Crime Prevention Products we are always on the lookout for technology that will help people as well as keeping them safe.

On February the 1st, 2011, we saw the new crime website (www.police.uk) open it’s virtual doors to allow people the ability to check their neighbourhood’s crime statistics. This website also proved beneficial to prospective house buyers, giving them the chance to ‘check out’ an area while doing research before attempting to purchase/rent any new property. Granted there has been debate about some of the crime statistics that have been published for certain areas but we have been insured that as the site progresses, information and statistics will become much more reliable over time.

However, the Government has opened up their crime data to developers and in doing so a new App for the iPhone has been developed – Crime Finder.

The Crime Finder App uses augmented reality technology to deliver up-to-date statistics for crimes committed within a 500-metre radius of any given location. It works by using your phones GPS to pinpoint your location and display street-level crime statistics from the official Home Office figures directly to your screen in real time.

It means the App can be used by those looking to buy/rent without having to head home and hit the laptop or also anyone who might find themselves in an unfamiliar area giving them peace of mind they require to carry out their daily business. So far over 100,000 people have downloaded the Crime Finder application since it’s launch last week.

According to a recent report (source) nearly 13 million people in Britain were targeted by credit card fraudsters in 2010, this could have happened as they bought goods on unsecured websites or had their cards cloned by criminal gangs operating in shops and market places or even had their details stolen from discarded bank and credit card statements. Whichever way the criminals managed to obtain the details, many of the ‘victims’ didn’t know their card was used until they received a statement or went to use their card only to find that their ‘limit’ had been reached.

With one of the worlds biggest sporting events due to take place in our country in 2012 the police are worried that criminal organisations will see this as a phenomenally good opportunity to take advantage of people’s inexperience when it come to purchasing tickets over the internet. The Metropolitan Police are so concerned about this that they are setting up their own units to help tackle cyber crime at the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Operation Podium will be split into two separate units, one of the teams will be dealing with combating Olympics related e-crime activity, such as fraud and hacking, while the other unit will be dedicated almost exclusively to the prevention of ticketing fraud.

Here at Crime Prevention Products we are only to aware that criminals will see this as a massive opportunity to make free money. Which is why we decided to blog about a few tips to help you secure your tickets and prevent your money from simply disappearing out of your account.

• www.tickets.london2012.com is the official site of the 2012 Olympics and one of the more reliable online sites where you’ll be able to purchase tickets. It is the ONLY site to buy official hospitality and travel packages.
• Don’t give anyone your credit card details in order to obtain cheap tickets – this may cost you more than you expected.
• As the Olympics draw closer, there may be counterfeit tickets being passed around the local clubs and pubs, if a deal seems to good to be true – it probably is.

These are just a few crime prevention measures that will help you purchase your London Olympic tickets and be reassured that you’ll receive your genuine tickets plus not a penny more than which you paid will leave your account.

The day of the ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order) maybe coming to an end with the introduction of new behaviour orders announced earlier this week by the Government. But what does this mean for residents living in areas which are plaugued with anti-social behaviour?

Since the ASBO was introduced wayback in 1998 there have been around 17,000 orders issued up to the beginning of 2009 in England and Wales alone (source). London, Manchester, West Midlands and West Yorkshire are hotspots for anti-social behaviour. Of those whom received an ASBO during this period, 9,247 breached their ASBO conditions, with 53% (around 4,900) actually receiving a custodial sentence.

The new Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO’s) can lead to a criminal conviction and a Crime Prevention Injunction (CPI) is a measure to stop anti-social behaviour before it gets out of hand. Under the new Orders, there are special ‘community triggers‘ woven in where if an incident happens and there has been no action taken – if the incident has been reported by 5 people in a neighbourhood or 3 times by the same individual then the Police etc.. are compelled to act.

CBO’s carry special powers that can see an individual banned from certain areas or activities after being convicetd for an offense. If an individual breaks the rights of the CBO placed upon them they could be imprisoned up to 5 years.

If a CPI is issued against an individual and the terms are breached it could mean a heavy fine or even a prison sentence if the individual is an adult. For those Under 18, breaching a CPI could mean the seizure of possessions (such as iPods, Mobile Phones etc..), curfews, loss of freedom of movement.

However, it seems that the approach by the Government to reduce anti-social behaviour with the new and improved Criminal Behaviour Orders has hardly enthused those in neighbourhoods where unruly behaviour and low level crime wreaks havoc on a daily basis. It takes more than just Police enforcement to change people’s aptitude towards anti-social behaviour – investment within communities of people and infrastructure is a starting point. But when you consider that local councils are struggling with savage budget cuts and the Police Force facing huge cuts that could see at least 20% slashed from their budget by 2015 – one feels that the anti-social problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Here at Crime Prevention Products are always on the lookout for new products, devices and information which will help residents combat crime. One such piece of information has to be the new crime website which opened its virtual doors to the general public on February the 1st 2011. The site is called www.police.uk and will give every resident in England & Wales access to the crime statistics of any city, town or village. It’s simple to use, just log on to the website and type in the postcode, town, village or street that you wish to check.

The first page of this new web site will automatically give information such as who is in the Neighbourhood Policing Team, email addresses as well as twitter updates. More importantly, if you look at the menu bar, and click on the Crime Maps, you’ll be able to see the six crime categories:

• Burglaries
• Robberies
• Violent Crime
• Vehicle Crime
• Other Crimes
• Anti Social Behaviour

These crime categories make it easier to breakdown the information collated about the area your searching plus show the amount of various crimes that have been reported to the authorities in the searched area. Other pages include Meet the Team, Get Involved and Information and Advice.

The website which cost £300,000 (source) to develop, unfortunately crashed upon launch after receiving almost 75,000 hits per minute.

Most of us would be interested in knowing – not only what kind, but how much crime is happening in our community. Knowing and understanding this information could sway your decision if your looking to purchase a new home, after all who wants to live in an area with a high crime rate.

One other thing regarding the crime maps that is worth highlighting, is the opportunity to give information about a crime that happened within an area anonymously.

There has been condemnation as well as approval over the crime mapping website. I’m sure through time it will prove it’s use and the information can be used for good like improving neighbourhoods. Time will tell.