| Said community safety officer PC Kenny Greig, “There is no room to be complacent and there are a number of ways a householder can give the impression their home is occupied and prevent being a victim of crime.”
Steps to take include:
Leaving lights on in rooms, such as the lounge or bedroom, not a hallway or other largely unused area. The intention is to create the impression that someone is in, a significant deterrent, so illuminate the areas of your home most likely to achieve this;
Using timer switches, which are an excellent way of triggering one or more lights. As daylight hours grow shorter, reset the timer to activate lights earlier. In the middle of winter, a house with someone at home will often have lights on in the early afternoon and the timer needs to be set accordingly;
Use lighting outside the house at both the front and back such as low energy dusk to dawn lights. They are cheap to install and run, light up any areas that potential criminals could use to hide and don’t annoy neighbours;
Locking and bolting all doors and windows before leaving the property unoccupied. It is also advisable to keep ground floor windows and doors locked even when you are in;
Fitting a five-lever BS 3621 lock, door viewer and door chain to exterior doors (vulnerable and elderly people can have these items installed free of charge through Fife Cares). |
