Residents in South West Birmingham are being warned to be vigilant with their home and vehicle security during the summer months.
Sgt Fleur Tedstill said: “I have noticed recently that a large number of our burglaries and vehicle crime offences across Selly Oak constituency are committed through insecure windows and doors and with vehicles that have been left unlocked.”
Advice from Design out Crime Team Supervisor Mark Silvester:
Home
With the warm weather set to continue It is great that we can enjoy the sunshine. But residents need to be aware that this can be literally an open door, or window, for opportunistic thieves.
People will spend more time outside and leave their homes insecure, whether that is leaving the window open or their external doors unlocked.
Always lock your doors, even if you are in the house, and when you leave a room then make sure the window is closed. If you go out then make sure your home is totally secure.
Also make sure that you don’ leave items such as keys, phones or wallets near to the front door or an open window. A burglary can take moments and burglars exploit open windows and insecure doors.
Secure items within your garden too, from the items in your shed to your step ladders left in the garden. Items from sheds can be used to force access to your home or your neighbours’ homes. Ladders provide an easy way to get in to those upper floor windows, close the window and keep those ladders secure too.
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Vehicle
Theft from vehicles is often opportunistic, and not always by breaking a window or forcing a lock.
‘Check you fob has done the job’ … If your vehicle is locked by remote control, and most cars are these days, check the doors are locked. Also in the warm weather make sure all the windows are fully closed, a passenger could have lowered the window and not closed it. In summer close sunroofs and if you have a convertible put the roof up, even when leaving the car for a few minutes.
Always put items out of view, if you have a sat nav lock it in the boot, or if your glove box is lockable put it in there and lock it. Even loose change and other items that you may consider as being of no interest to a potential thief could be enough for someone to break in to your vehicle.
Click image for more vehicle security advice:
