Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South YarraRegion 1 Division 2 Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
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Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South Yarra
Region 1 Division 2
Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
You are here: Home>Newsletters>August 2003
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August, 2003 Crime prevention tips - increase the risks and reduce the rewards for offenders THE majority of crime in the South Yarra area is against property, not people. Most crimes are 'spur of the moment' actions, often in response to the opportunity of an open window or valuables on display. By taking a few simple measures you can improve your security and remove the opportunity from those who seek to commit crime. To prevent crime and reduce its impact upon the community, we have to intervene before it is committed. By increasing the risk of apprehension, increasing the effort required to commit the offence and reducing the rewards available to the offender, it is possible to reduce the risk of victimisation. The Police simply can't be there every time a crime is committed. Crime prevention is everyone's responsibility, not just a job for the police. Many of the crime prevention tips below are common sense, but they can make a real difference. Please take a moment to review the tips to see if there is something you can do to save yourself the distress and expense of crime, and make your community a safer and better place to live. Neighbours Neighbours are your first line of defence against crime. Get to know them and ask them to keep an eye on your home when you are out or on holiday. Offer to do the same for them. Consider joining Neighbourhood Watch. Key tags Don't mark your keys with your name or address. If you lose them a prospective burglar who finds them will be able to identify your home. Only use your drivers licence number on your key tag. Automatic timers Buy an automatic timer and put it on a lamp near the front of the house so that it automatically comes on in the evening. It means you never walk into a dark room when you come home late and it makes it look like someone is home in the evenings even when you are not. Noise Hang a cows bell or like item on the back of gates and exterior doors. Sometimes sudden noise is enough to scare those petty thieves. Also scatter dry leaves around your property to create a crunching noise if someone comes sneaking around. Garage doors Open garage doors attract burglars. Make a habit of keeping garage doors closed and locked. An open garage door, with no car in sight, is a clear invitation to a burglar. Especially if the garage is used to store such items as bicycles, power mowers, garden tools, and other easily stolen property. Top 3 car crime tips 1. Never leave valuables in your car. 2. Never leave valuables in your car. 3. Never leave valuables in your car. Etch your VIN Have the vehicle identification number (VIN) etched onto major glass components of motor vehicles. The VIN is the only permanent identifier of a vehicle. Empty boxes Take care when leaving empty boxes outside your home. They can give away details of new and valuable equipment which may be worth stealing. Avoid distraction Beware of callers who attempt to distract you by claiming that they have seen something untoward in your back garden, or somewhere that may encourage you to leave your house - they may have an accomplice awaiting this distraction. Re-key locks Ensure that your locks are changed or re-keyed when you move into a new house or apartment. You never know how many copies of the keys the prior owner had or are floating around! Fingerprints Help police find fingerprints. Dust, dirt and moisture destroy fingerprints. Keep your windows and doors and surrounds clean. Fingerprints convict criminals. Reports Report ALL crime to police no matter how trivial, this assists police build crime trends and helps to track down criminals. Child protection is everyone's business A MAJOR event for NAPCAN (National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) is to coordinate National Child Protection Week. A week that always starts on Father's day. During this special week activities are held throughout Australia to promote community awareness of child abuse and neglect in all its forms. The dramatic benefits of parenting children in a loving and nurturing way and the role the community must play in making sure our children grow up feeling safe, secure and loved. National Child Protection Week focuses the nation's attention on the issue of child abuse and neglect and encourages local groups of all cultures to develop and participate in prevention activities relevant to their particular backgrounds and traditions. For some groups, the week can be a catalyst for action, for others it can provide a framework around which to structure activities. During this week, Sunday 8 - Saturday 13 September 2003, you can participate in activities that can raise the awareness of child abuse and neglect in all its forms. Some of the activities that you might like to undertake are: • Join the Marie Claire campaign "Child Abuse: Stopping it starts with us" by visiting the web site www.stopit.com.au and making a pledge • Ordering some of the free education material from NAPCAN Vic and display the posters, brochures, balloons and bookmarks in a busy public space where as many people as possible can have access. • Organise a family fun activity offering families an opportunity to enjoy being together. • Organise a professional seminar on caring parenting or other relevant topics. • Register to join in the Creative Outrageous Day - wear outrageous clothes/hair to raise awareness of child abuse in the community Contact NAPCAN Vic Tel: 9427 1178, Fax 9427 7119 or email napcanvic@aol.com for further information and to order free resources. Repeat Burglaries MANY people believe that once they have been burgled they are unlikely to be burgled again. Most of the time this is true. However, sometimes when a home has been burgled the same offender may return and burgle, or attempt to burgle, the home again. The time between the first and second burglary may vary, depending on the reason why the burglar decides to return. Reasons for a return visit might include the following: • burglars know there are additional items of value in a home and view it as an easy target because they cannot see any obvious improvements in the security of the home; • burglars may try and burgle a home again in 4-6 weeks because they think the goods previously stolen will have been replaced through insurance; • burglars may return because they now have a buyer for some particular item they saw on the first occasion; • burglars return to burgle other residential buildings (e.g. if the garden shed was burgled the first time, burglars return to burgle the home). If you have been burgled recently and you think it is possible that the burglar may return for any of the reasons outlined above, it is strongly recommended that you address any security shortfalls that may leave your home and garage or shed vulnerable to burglary. National police remembrance day NATIONAL Police Remembrance Day is an annual event providing the community an opportunity to pay tribute to all police officers who have died. The day is observed by all states and territories and is held each year on 29 September. In Victoria, the day coincides with Blue Ribbon Day, which honours the memory of the 137 Victoria Police officers who have been killed - 29 of them murdered - while serving the community. The main Victorian service will be a Remembrance Day March and Ceremony to be held in Melbourne. The march will begin at 10.30am at Princes Bridge and involve past and present members marching to the Victoria Police Memorial in Kings Domain Gardens, St Kilda Road. A Remembrance Day ceremony will then be held at the unique amphitheatre style memorial. Next Meeting Disclaimer:
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Last modified 19 August 2003.