Advice on Preventing House and Car Burglary

April update from Neighbourhood Watch

Burglary in Brentford
There has been a recent burglary in Avenue Road, Brentford, a lap top and an iPad were stolen.  With the lighter evenings, residents are reminded to remain continually vigilant in matters concerning home, personal and vehicle security. 

Metropolitan Police Recommended Anti-Burglary Precautions:

1.   Mark or etch property with your postcode, house or flat number.
2.   Register items at immobilize: www.immobilise.com
3.   Do not leave car keys or ID documents near doors, letterboxes  or windows
4.   Always check who’s at the door and don’t open it if you feel anxious
5.   Close and lock all doors and windows, even if you are only going to be away from the house for a few minutes
6.   Keep all valuables out of sight from windows
7.   Use a timer switch or leave lights on if it is dark before you get home.
8.   If going out after dark, draw the curtains and leave some lights on.
9.   It’s also recommended that a radio be left on.
10.   Install a burglar alarm or a dummy burglar alarm to deter burglar(s)
11.   Always keep sheds and outbuildings locked
12.   Advise neighbours and friends if you are going away.

Burglars look out for the following:

1.   Side gates open
2.   Accessible windows left open
3.   Ladders left out, allowing access to inaccessible windows
4.   Gardens tools available to be used to force entry
5.   Untrimmed hedges or high fences preventing natural surveillance
6.   Milk bottles or parcels on doorsteps
7.   Newspapers and mail in the letter box
8.   Unlit houses at night
9.   Closed windows in darkened properties on hot nights

Vehicle Security
There has been another car break in Hamilton Road.  The culprit hoping to find something of value to steal scattered the contents of the vehicles glove compartment around the interior of the vehicle.  Nothing was in fact stolen and once again there was no damage done to the vehicle.   

Recently a vehicle parked in Lateward Road, Brentford, had its front and rear number plates stolen. Such thefts must be reported to the police as soon as possible as the theft can cause the owner of the vehicle major problems, especially if they start receiving fixed penalty notices in the mail. To deter this type of crime, the Metropolitan Police strongly recommend motorists to use anti-theft number plate screws that can be purchased from motoring shops or Halfords.

Nothing of value including loose change should be left unattended inside vehicles.  It is also advisable to leave glove compartment lids open to show that there is nothing of value stored inside the glove compartment when the vehicle is not in use. This includes removing sucker marks where devices such as Sat Nav's have been attached to the window.

Fraudsters Targeting the Elderly
Sadly fraudsters are telephoning elderly residents in London and tricking them out of their savings.  Pretending to be someone of authority from a bank or even the Serious Fraud Office, the fraudster will cold call their victim to advise them that there has been illegal activity linked to their bank account and that their bank card will need to be returned urgently to the bank or the police to avoid further criminal activity. 

Should their victim be unconvinced that the call is genuine, the fraudster will then suggest that their victim hang up and dial 999 or dial the telephone number shown on the reverse side of the bank card.  The phone call then ends, but the fraudster stays on the line waiting for their victim to pick up their phone to dial out. When they do, the fraudster is waiting to take the call.

Convinced now that the phone call is genuine, the victim readily gives permission for the bank card, with its pin number, to be collected.  The fraudster will then arrange for a courier/taxi company to visit the victim’s address to collect the card.  Once the bank card and the pin number are in the hands of the criminal, the victim’s bank account is quickly emptied.  One unfortunate victim lost their life savings.

If you have an elderly neighbor, relative or friend, please warn them of the danger.

April 22, 2013