This time of year typically brings an increase in theft-related holiday crime, including residential burglaries, commercial burglaries and thefts from both locked and unlocked vehicles. It’s important to take proactive measures to prevent crime during the holidays.
Although you can’t control where criminals go, you can control what they see when they are in your neighborhood looking for a person, home, vehicle or business to victimize. What they see or don’t see may determine whether or not they decide to commit a crime.
The Rocklin Police Department offers these tips to help you stay safe during the holiday season.
Residential Burglary Prevention
- Since burglars typically look for unoccupied homes, make sure your home looks and sounds like someone is home when you are away. Interior lights and radios can be connected to timers that turn them on and off during normal hours. Use exterior lights to keep your property well lit at night. These lights can be controlled by timers, photoelectric cells or motion sensors. Don’t leave exterior lights on during daytime hours.
- Avoid placing gifts and wrapped packages where there can easily be seen by someone who comes to your door or looks into an uncovered window. A room full of brightly wrapped packages looks very inviting to a burglar.
- Lock every door and window before leaving your home, and consider a home alarm system and/or dog for additional security.
- Organize a Neighborhood Watch Group to help neighbors work together and watch out for each other.
- If you arrive home and see signs of forced entry, don’t go inside. Go to a neighbor’s home or use your cell phone to call the police from a safe location.
Vehicle Burglary Prevention
- Lock your car and roll up the windows, and park in well-lit, populated areas. And if you have a garage, use it!
- Avoid leaving packages, purses, wallets, computers, CD’s, cell phones or any other valuables in your vehicle because they will attract criminals. If you must do so, place them out of sight or in the trunk before you arrive at your destination.
- When parking your car, be aware of who and what is around you. And when walking to your car, have your keys in hand to help you make a quick entry and lock the door as soon as you get inside.
- Be careful when loading groceries, packages and children into your car. It is easy to be distracted at this time, thus allowing a criminal to surprise you.
- Never leave your car unattended with the keys inside. It only takes a second for a thief to jump in and take your car.
