Police Scotland have issued advice to the pubic to help avoid becoming a victim of housebreaking with the darker nights setting in.
A statement on the website states: “Take a few simple steps to avoid becoming a victim of a housebreaking this autumn/winter.Now that the darker nights are back and the evenings are drawing in, we want you to remain safe and would like to share the below advice with you.
- If you’re going away or even going out for the evening, set a timer switch to turn your lights on when it gets dark. Unlit houses are a giveaway that no one is at home.
- Remember to lock your doors, patios and downstairs windows. Also lock any windows on the first floor where access can be gained via a flat roof.
- If you’re at the rear of the house or in the garden, lock your front doors and windows. This simple act will deter opportunistic criminals.
- If you have a house alarm… USE IT. Make sure you set it when you go out and when you go to bed.
- Don’t leave car keys, ID cards, or valuables near windows, doors or letterboxes, where thieves can reach through to steal them.
- Lock your garden gates and side entrances. Don’t leave tools lying around in the garden which could be used to break in to your home.
- Property mark your valuables.
- Register your property on Immobilise, the UK national property register https://www.immobilise.com/
- Register bikes on https://www.bikeregister.com/
Find out more in our Keep Safe pages, and if you have information about a housebreaking phone the Police on 101 or CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
