Crime Prevention While Traveling

 

          I would like to review some of the factors to consider when you travel on vacation or otherwise leave your home empty.  Some leave for a few days while some leave for months (usually the cold ones.)

        I have put together a list of things to consider when you are gone on vacation.  While nothing can completely eliminate the possibility of a burglary, I would like to work with each of you to lower the probability of it happening here in Bedford.

        Each of these steps are possible at little or no cost.  Some of them will work for you and some of them will not.   You must try to do as many as possible to keep your home safe while you are away.  The goal is to make your home appear to be lived in and to deter the burglar from breaking into your home.

        The best case would be to have someone you know and trust live at your home while you are away.  I have several animals including cats, dogs and birds.   It takes time and care to keep these animals and the joy they bring to my children is enormous.  When we go on vacation, I have my nephew or a niece stay at my home for the time we are away.  They not only care for my pets, but they guarantee that my home looks like someone is living there.

        For a burglar to enter a home while people are home, they must have a specific target in mind and the desperation to make such an attempt.  These cases are very rare in Bedford.  A thief may attempt to break into a house while no one is home, yet they do not want to face a resident in the home.

        Each of the steps following will aid in the fight against thieves.  While many of these are simple and performed by you, the homeowner, others should be handled by someone you know and trust.  A good neighbor is the first person I think about for these tasks.  They know your home and your neighborhood.  Make sure they know that you are gone and what to do in case of an emergency.  They can easily handle these simple tasks, since they perform many of them daily at their home and your home is only a few steps away.  The Neighborhood Watch Program teaches people to watch out for their neighborhood.  The idea is that by watching the neighborhood, anyone suspicious will be reported to the police department.  This concept is simply one step further along.  The neighbor is watching your home and taking simple preventative measures for you and your home.

        I have included a sample form from our Away Book.  This simple to use form is placed in a three ring binder at the police station.  This form has two purposes.  The first reason is that it allows the police officers to be aware that your home is unoccupied and the patrol car will keep an ‘eye’ on your home for anything out of the ordinary.  While extra passes in a police cruiser cannot insure that no crime will be committed, the extra passes by your home may deter a criminal or allow for early detection of  a problem.

        The second purpose of this form is to give the police department information regarding emergency contacts and alarm updates and protocols. We want to keep your home safe and secure while you are on vacation. With help from your neighborhood and from the police department, we hope to keep your vacation a relaxed one with no surprises on your return.

 

Here are a few traveling tips that may be of use during your trip.