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Issue 3 -
September 2000
HOW
SAFE IS YOUR HOME - Hints & Tips
Check
the Locks
Check the Doors
Check the Outside
Consider an
Alarm
Burglars do more than
steal
There's more you can do
If you where locked out of your house,
would you still be able to get in? Maybe you keep an unlocked window
in the back or a hidden key in your mailbox or on top of a window ledge?
You may think this is a good idea, but
guess what? If you can break in, so can a burglar!
One out of ten homes will be burglarised
this year. For a small amount of time and money you can make your
home more secure and reduce your chances of being a victim.
Many burglars will spend no longer than 60
seconds trying to break into a home. Good locks - and good
neighbours who watchout for each other - can be big deterrents to
burglars.
CHECK THE
LOCKS
Did you know that in almost half of all
completed residential burglaries, thieves simply breezed in through
unlocked doors or crawled through unlocked windows.
 | Make sure every external door has a
sturdy, well installed dead bolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks
alone are not enough. |
| Sliding glass doors can offer easy
access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by
installing commercially available locks or putting a broomstick or
dowel in the inside track to jam the door. To prevent the door
being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the slide door frame
and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole. |
| Lock double-hung windows with key locks
or 'pin' your windows by drilling a small hole into a 45 degree angle
between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be
removed. |
| Instead of hiding keys around the
outside of your home, give an extra key to a neighbour you trust. |
| When you move into a new house or
apartment, re-key the locks. |
BEGINNING
CHECK THE DOORS
A lock on a flimsy door is about
as effective as locking your car door but leaving the window down.
| All outside doors should be
metal or solid wood. |
| If your doors don't fit
tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them. |
| Install a peephole or wide
angle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without
opening the door. Door chains can break easily and don't keep
out intruders. |
BEGINNING
CHECK THE OUTSIDE
Look at your house from the
outside. Make sure you know the following tips.
| Thieves hate bright
lights. Install outside lights and keep them on at night. |
| Keep your yard clean.
Prune back shrubbery so it doesn't hide doors or windows. Cut
back tree limbs that a thief could use to climb to an upper-level
window. |
| If you travel, create the
illusion that you're at home by getting some timers that will turn
lights on and off in different areas of your house throughout the
evening. Lights burning 24 hours a day, signal an empty house. |
| Leave shades, blinds and
curtains in normal positions and don't let your mail pile up!
Call the post office to stop delivery or have a neighbour pick it up. |
| Make a list of your valuables
- VCR's, stereos, computers, jewellery. Take photos of the
items, list their serial numbers and description. |
BEGINNING
CONSIDER AN
ALARM
Alarms can be a good investment,
especially if you have many valuables in your home, or live in an isolated
area or one with a history of break-ins.
| Check with several companies
before you buy so you can decide what level of security fits your
needs. Do business with an established company. |
| Learn how to use your system
properly! Don't 'cry wolf' by setting off false alarms.
People will stop paying attention and you'll probably be fined. |
| Some less expensive
options...a sound detecting socket that plugs into a light fixture and
makes the light flash when it detects certain noises, motion sensing
outdoor lights that turn on when someone approaches, or lights with
photo cells that turn on when it's dark and off when it's light. |
BEGINNING
BURGLARS DO MORE THAN STEAL
Burglars can commit rape, robbery
and assault if they are surprised by someone coming home or pick a home
that is occupied.
| If something looks
questionable - a slit screen, a broken window or an open door - don't
go in. Call the police from a neighbour's house or a public
phone. |
| At night, if you think you
hear someone breaking in, leave safely if you can, then call the
police. If you can't leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone
and call the police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you
are asleep. |
BEGINNING
THERE'S MORE YOU CAN DO
| Join a Neighbourhood Watch
group. If one doesn't exist, you can start one with help from
local law enforcement. |
| Never leave a message on your
answering machine that indicates that you may be away fro home now,
say "I'm not available right now." |
Work with neighbours and local
government to organise community clean ups. The cleaner your
neighbourhood, the less attractive it is to crime.
These tips were provided by
the National Crime Prevention Council www.ncpc.org
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PROTECT
YOUR BUSINESS AGAINST FRAUD
Some Warning Signs
| If during an employee's absence,
whether due to sickness, holiday or some other reason you note a
marked increase in turnover or cash receipts, perhaps an investigation
is needed. |
| If a customer always wants to be served
by the same employee and goes away empty handed if that person is not
available, several reasons may be given, such as: "They are
always so helpful", "They know precisely what I want"
or "They have such a good knowledge of the stock". The
real reason may be that there is a special relationship which is not
in the best interests of your business. |
| Hiked up expense declarations are the
easiest and quickest, and therefore the most used, way to obtain extra
income. There are people who write a one or a two in front of
the figure on a receipt. Or perhaps you have been in a
restaurant on the weekend when a waiter asked you what date you would
like on the receipt. |
| Does your business have an agreement
with suppliers that they must deliver exclusively to your business
premises, unless they receive written instructions to the
contrary. If not, you run the risk that part of a shipment,
which will eventually be invoiced to your business, will be delivered
to someone's private address or another company. |
| Does your company have a rule that
tickets ordered for business trips should not be exchanged for a lower
class? Those who do this may pocket the difference or use it to
buy a second ticket for a partner. |
| Often business gifts are not always
counted when delivered. Whoever is responsible for ordering them
can, therefore, order more than required and take the surplus.
This possibility is furthered if the number ordered is not checked
against the number of recipients. |
These warning signs were supplied by GHH
Senior, The Netherlands, www.ghhsr.com
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