10
Nov
2015
By Calvin at 14:16 GMT, 10 years ago
I read a lot of this type of news story through the week and whilst it’s good to see the press giving burglary some coverage (because it’s still a big problem nationally even though the volume of them has fallen) I can’t help wonder what good this type of reporting really does.
Why am I moaning?
It’s because the story says absolutely nothing about how the burglars got in!
It strikes me that if you’re going to the effort to report about a spate of burglaries wouldn’t it be a good idea to tell the reading public about the methods used by the thieves. In that way, not only are the public informed that burglars are about, but they can also ensure that their security precautions are up to the job.
For example: Let’s say that the majority of this ‘spate of burglaries’ involved the thieves accessing the back gardens of semi-detached homes via the side gate at the bottom of the driveway. This would be a clear indication to the reading public for them to check their gates are locked and difficult to climb. However, what if the burglaries were committed via poorly secured front doors; perhaps the burglars were going up to homes in darkness and trying the multipoint locked front doors to see if they could find one that hadn’t been locked correctly. This method would require an entirely different response!
By and large I think the newspapers do us a good service when it comes to crime reporting, but sometimes we need more than just a warning; sometimes we need to know the facts so that we can respond appropriately.
Talking of appropriate responses; can I please emphasise to you that if your unoccupied home is in darkness during the early evening, because you are not operating some lights on timers or solar switches, then you are pretty much telling the neighbourhood that you’re not at home.
Please don’t wait until your home is the subject of a newspaper story.
Gazette Gloucestershire: http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/13945914.Spate_of_burglaries_in_Cam_and_Dursley_carried_out_by__organised_group__police_say/
Domestic Security Lighting: Why it’s essential: http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/gardens-lighting-access-and-alarms/495/security-lighting/
PS Draw competition to win some light switch timers starting soon!
