Holiday Safety...

HOME AND PERSONAL SAFETY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Once again it is that time of year again. The Holidays are upon us and the Hubbard Township Police Department wants to make sure you and your family have a happy and safe holiday season. And we want to review some ways to protect your home, automobile, and yourself.

Burglaries can occur any time of year as your know. However, burglars also know that due to the holiday shopping many of us are undertaking we tend to have many more electronics, jewelry, and other valuables in our homes. Also, because we are shopping, we are out of the house more often and for extended periods of time.

Most criminals seek out easy targets. So what can we do to prevent breaks? Here are some pretty basic things you can do to prevent burglaries:

Use solid wooden doors, or doors reinforced with steel.

Use dead bolts.

Consider installing a peephole.

Use window pegs (drill a hole into the moveable part of the window through the frame and insert a peg or nail).

Make sure all windows are closed and locked securely.

Do not allow shrubbery to grow over windows, walkways, or doorways or other wise conceal criminals while they break into your home.

Use as much lighting as possible. Place floodlights near doorways, garages, sheds, windows, pathways, and don’t forget the back of the house too!

Put lighting on motion detectors and / or timers. This can be done very inexpensively.

Never allow strangers in your home. Don’t let telephone callers know your home alone or that your house is empty at certain times (Remember not to give out personal information including credit cards).

Keep your personal plans to your self, don’t even tell co-workers.

Vary your routine. Criminals don’t like to be surprised.

Put away ladders and other tools when not in use. You don’t want to arm a burglar with the tools of his trade or a potential weapon.

When gone for a period of time, use call forwarding, timers for electrical appliances (lights, radio, television), arrange for mail and newspaper collection, snow shoveling, or grass mowing.

Record all of your valuables including serial numbers. This may also include photographing and videotaping. Check insurance coverage and mark all of your belongings with an etching device.

Get organized with neighbors so all of you can watch each other’s property.

Now that we’ve covered just some of the basics of home security (some of which I reviewed last Christmas with you), let’s take a look at personal shopping safety.

Store shopping bags and merchandise in the trunk, not in the back seat where it can be seen and easily stolen.

Women should drape pocketbook strap diagonally across their body.

Men and women should not carry large amounts of cash.

These are just some of the tips we at the Hubbard Township Police Department would like to provide for you to make your season a bit less stressful. Remember that you can call us any time to report any suspicious activity. There is no such thing as a wrong call to the police.

We would also like to remind you to be careful of heaters, Christmas decorations (placement of candles in windows, dried out trees) and so forth. In this season of celebration and of much colder temperatures, none of us at the Wilmington Fire or Police Department want to see you and your families become the victims of a preventable fire.