Opportunity, Chance and Complacency equals Unnecessary Crime

Many of my readers will know that I’m pretty much sold on the fact that what all crime needs is an opportunity and that if we can remove that opportunity then all of us would be able to live in a crime-free environment.

Is this ‘pie in the sky’?

Well, yes of course it is, because we all have human failings and so from time to time we’ll forget to do something or do something that we forgot we shouldn’t do and suffer the inevitable consequences.

Or will we?

Perhaps not, because the good thing about opportunity is that it doesn’t always drop us in the mire. 

Chance has a part to play as well and so should you go out and forget to lock the front door then this must coincide with the appearance of burglar Bill who just happens to be in your street trying door handles.  Fortunately, the chance of these two things happening together is slim and so for most of the time you’ll get away with it. 

The problem with this, however, is that we then run the risk of becoming complacent and we convince ourselves (possibly subconsciously) that the risk of crime is so low (because we’ve never experienced it) that it is unlikely to happen and so we don't bother to take care.  Eventually, of course, our luck will run out and the chance of crime will catch up with us.

This means that in order to reduce our risks of becoming a victim of crime we all need to practice a sensible level of crime prevention at all times.  This may seem like a drag, but if you get yourself into the habit of, for example, not leaving things on view in your car and always checking the house windows are closed and locked before you go out these things eventually become routine and almost automatic; a crime prevention routine that will reduce your chances of becoming a victim of crime.

It is quite clear that this message of opportunity is still not hitting home, which is why as many as 30% of burglaries take place at homes where force was not used to gain entry.  It’s why there are almost countless thefts from vehicles (Only about 20% are reported to the police) where stuff has been left on view.

Over the years I have been creating a list of opportunities that lead to what I term as ‘unnecessary crimes’ and I keep adding to it!

Here’s my latest list of opportunities:

The Vehicle

• Leaving stuff on view in the car
• Forgetting to lock the vehicle
• Parking in a crime-ridden car park instead of the ‘Safer Car Park’ nearby

The Dwelling

• Not properly locking a multi-point locking door, especially at night
• Leaving keys in door locks, especially close to cat-flaps
• Leaving a ground floor front window open when out in the back garden
• Leaving doors and windows open or unlocked when going out
• Not leaving lights on in the home when we go out at night
• Not buying enhanced secured doors and windows when upgrading them
• Not setting the burglar alarm, because you’re ‘popping out’ for a couple of minutes
• Having a security safe and not using it
• Not marking valuables, making it easy for thieves to sell them on

The Garden and Outbuildings

• Having an insecure shed containing tools for the burglar to use on the house
• Leaving tools out in the garden, such as a spade
• Not locking the garage, which may have a door directly into the house
• Not chaining up a wheelie bin which could be used to climb over a side gate
• Not locking a side gate

The Person

• Opening the door to unexpected callers without checking who’s there first
• Doing business with cold callers at the door and on the phone
• Carrying a wallet in a back pocket
• Hanging a handbag on the back of a chair in a pub or café
• Showing off the latest mobile phone to friends in a busy pub
• Getting into an unlicensed taxi
• Believing something we are told that’s simply too good to be true
• Not trusting our instincts that something isn’t right

Do you recognise any of them? Don't be embarrassed, I’ve been guilty of several of them myself.

The point I want to make is that it is these mistakes that create the conditions necessary for unnecessary crimes to take place!  Most of the time you’ll get away with it, but then one day you won’t and then you’ll be a victim.

So, please do take a minute or two to consider your security, which might save you a day or two in picking up the pieces when things go wrong.

Have a great weekend!