Police urge Newtownabbey residents to make home security ‘part of daily routine’

Police in Antrim and Newtownabbey are asking residents to make home security part of their daily routine as part of efforts to reduce and prevent burglaries.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

This time of year can see an increase in burglaries with criminals using the darker evenings to their advantage.

Chief Inspector David Moore said: “This time of year can see an increase in burglaries with criminals using the darker evenings to their advantage. There are three things however that everyone can do to help us prevent more people from becoming victims of burglary.

“Firstly make sure to close, lock and check all windows and doors before you leave the house or go to bed. Get into the habit of doing this every day and make sure to get everyone in the house involved. The more you make this part of your daily routine, the less chance you have of being targeted by opportunistic burglars.

Close it, lock it, check it campaign.Close it, lock it, check it campaign.
Close it, lock it, check it campaign.

“Secondly, if you see something on your street or in your neighbourhood that doesn’t look right then let us know. Don’t wait. Pick up the phone and give us the information as soon as you can. We have caught burglars in the act because someone called us straightaway. We have stopped vans with stolen goods on-board because someone called us straightaway. The sooner we know, the faster we can respond and the safer your neighbourhood will be.

“Lastly make it your business to check in on an older neighbour or family member. Sadly burglars will target those who are more vulnerable in our community so if you know someone who lives on their own then please make contact in whatever way you can.

“We have lots of information on home security on our website (www.psni.police.uk) and our crime prevention officer is available to provide further assistance via our non-emergency number 101. We also work closely with our Policing and Community Safety Partnership and Neighbourhood Watch partners to ensure that advice and support is available to all our residents.”

Antrim and Newtownabbey PCSP Chair Councillor Julie Gilmour added: “We support our partners within the PSNI in promoting the message of asking residents to make home security part of their daily routine as part of efforts to reduce and prevent burglaries.

“I would like to remind all residents of our Borough to be vigilant at this time of the year, to avoid becoming a victim of crime. Antrim and Newtownabbey PCSP want to ensure that all residents are safe in their homes. You can do this by taking just a few simple steps to improve your home security, and remaining mindful of the possibility of burglary and theft.”

----

Read More
Ballyclare resurfacing assurance welcomed

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.
Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.