Oxhill News

www.oxhill.com / www.oxhill.org.uk

South Warwickshire, England.

The Oxhill News

June 2016

This months News

Contents

 

Timely Advice from the Police

Distraction burglary

- remember - You don't have to open the door

Most callers are genuine, but some aren't. Burglars won't go to the trouble of breaking in if they can just knock and be invited in. So always be on guard when unexpected visitors - men, women or even children - turn up at the door.

Occasionally some callers will pretend to be on official business from utility companies (gas, electricity, water) or the council. They may pretend to be tradespeople who are calling to carry out urgent repairs or may claim that they have lost something in your back garden.

To protect yourself from distraction burglary:

beware of anyone who says they are in a hurry - if in doubt, call a neighbour or friend

check to see who is at the door by using your door viewer, or looking through a front window

always put the chain on before you open the door as this is a barrier against unwanted callers

when an unexpected caller claims they work for one of the utility companies, they must be able to quote your password  and unique customer number and produce an identity card:

all of the utility companies operate password schemes - contact the customer services department and set up a password with them

make a note of your customer number, which can be found at the top of the utility bill and keep it handy - this number is unique to your household

as added proof of identity, genuine trades people should carry an identification card with their photograph on -check this carefully and keep the chain on

if you're unsure about the caller's identity telephone the company the caller claims to represent, but don't rely on them giving you the number as it may be false - genuine callers won't mind waiting

if you're still unsure, ask the caller to come back later so that you can arrange for a friend or relative to be present

Home

Burglaries are often committed by opportunist thieves. This section gives a range of measures that can be put in place to prevent a burglary but once in place they must be adopted at all times. You may think you are secure, however, it's possible to get into a routine and not realise the opportunity you are presenting to a thief.

These are some of the common errors:

leaving doors open when working in the garden

leaving doors unlocked when watching television

leaving windows open in areas that are accessible to a thief, such as a flat roof or rear window next to garden furniture that can be used as a climbing aid

not locking up last thing at night assuming that someone in the house has already done it

in hot weather leaving downstairs windows or doors open.

just popping to neighbours and leaving the door unlocked

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Last modified: June 04, 2016