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Home Safety Tips
Here are some tips to keep your home safe during the holidays, a vacation or whenever you are not at home.
- Keep all doors and windows closed and securely fastened. An open window or door is an open invitation for burglars. Thieves are also quick to spot weak locks that may be easily forced open.
- Doors should have deadbolt locks with a one inch throw and reinforced strike plate with three inch screws. All windows should have window locks.
- Secure sliding glass doors. Place a metal rod or piece of plywood in the track and install vertical bolts. These will help prevent burglars from forcing the door open or lifting it off the track.
- Always lock the door to an attached garage. Don't rely on your automatic garage door opener for security.
- Create the illusion that you are home. by using timers on lights, radios and TV's. Making your residence appear occupied, even when no one is home, will deter criminals.
- Keep the perimeter of your home well lighted. Installing low voltage outdoor lighting is a cost-effective way to discourage intruders, as well as highlight a house.
- Never leave clues that you are away on a trip. Have a trusted neighbor collect mail and newspapers while you are away so delivered items do not accumulate. You can also ask a neighbor to park in your driveway or parking place to make it appear that you are present.
- Keep some shades and blinds up and curtains open to maintain a normal, everyday appearance in your residence.
- Never leave a message on your telephone answering machine telling people that you are away from home. A message that you will return at a certain time leaves your home vulnerable in the interim.
- Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and walkways. While large, ornate hedges may be beautiful, they also provide a hiding place for burglars who need only a minute to break in through a window or door.
Community Watch
Active communities are the best partners the police have when it comes to fighting crime. By showing that small crimes and nuisance activities will not be tolerated in your neighborhood sends clear signals to criminals to stay away. That means painting over graffiti, knowing your neighbors and reporting suspicious activity.
Community Watch is a crime prevention program that enlists the active participation of citizens to reduce crime in their communities.
It involves neighbors getting to know each other and preventing crime by being aware of what is happening in their neighborhoods. Citizens are trained to recognize and report suspicious activities.
Why Start A Community Watch?
Police officers cannot be on every corner and every street in the city, so citizen involvement is essential to combat crime. Neighbors are the ones who really know what is going on in their community. By cooperating with each other and the police, people can help fight crime in their community in the most effective way -- before it happens!
The goal of Community Watch is to give potential criminals the feeling that everyone in the community is watching their every move and will report them to law enforcement.
Across North Carolina, communities are working together to secure their homes, mark their valuables, identify drug dealers, develop child safety programs, clean up their neighborhoods and improve the environment where their children and families live.
When people care enough to get involved, crime will not flourish. Community Watch works when people get involved and stay involved.
How To Get Started
A City of Raleigh Crime Prevention officer for your neighborhood can help you organize a Community Watch. For more information, including how to get in touch with a Crime Prevention officer, call 919-996-3335.
Victim Resources
If you are a survivor of crime or are in an abusive situation, you may feel a loss of power and control in your life. Recognizing this and the steps you can take to support and protect yourself can increase your sense of security.
