Score a Winning Summer – Be Safe at Home! –

Warmer weather means we will start to open our windows and possibly doors for prolonged periods of time. This can let someone illegally enter your home with little effort. In 2021, there were 39 break and enters in our neighbourhood.

Do not make it easy for them! Leaving your home for just five minutes gives someone time to climb through an open window. Always remember to close and lock your windows and doors! Opportunists will walk around neighbourhoods to determine which homes are easy targets for them. Don’t be an easy target!

Here are some tips to curb theft during the summer months:

Hot Tips for the Summer!

Lock all doors, even when you are at home. Make this a habit.
Always lock and close your windows when you leave your home. Even during the summer!
Get to know your neighbours! Your neighbour can be the extra set of eyes and ears when you are not home.
Don’t leave any valuable items in plain view of a window.
Look at your home through the eyes of someone looking to break in. Are you making it easy for them? Did you leave your ladder out after a roofing project? This provides easy access to a second-story window. Are your bushes or trees providing cover for a break-in?

Home Security Tips:

Moving into the neighbourhood? Contact your local locksmith to re-key any exterior locks in your home.
Purchase new electronics recently? Do not throw out the empty cardboard box in the alley.
Install motion detector lights outdoors; intruders do not like being seen. Even turning on your porch lights at night would be helpful.
Lock up any tools or ladders; you never know what could help someone break in.

More information can be found at the VPD website: https://vpd.ca/crime-prevention-safety/home-security/