Five Principles of crime prevention

Five Principles of crime prevention

Target hardening

This first principle is exactly what it says. It means making it physically more difficult to commit the crime, such as:

fitting better, stronger locks to your doors and windows;

replacing an ordinary entrance door with one that is certificated to the enhanced security standard of PAS 24 2012. You could check this out on the internet.

installing a retractable gate behind French doors;

fitting a strong padlock with hasp and staple to the shed door;

using a ‘crook lock’ on an older car and fitting a locking petrol cap;

using thick laminated glass in shop windows.

2. Target removal

Remove any items that are valuable to you out of view. Examples include:

remove items of value from your parked car or putting them out of sight.

putting the car in the garage;

putting things like jewellery, money and important documents into an insurance rated fire safe or in a safety deposit box when you go on holiday;

removing items of value from view through a downstairs window;

not leaving a mobile phone on a table when ordering food and drinks;

not hanging a handbag on the back of a chair in a busy café;

not carrying your wallet in your back pocket

3. Removing the means to commit crime.

* being careful not to show your pin on your bank card

* not leaving the keys in the back or front doors

* not leaving garden tools lying around outside

* put any ladders away or out of sight

4. Surveillance

* ensuring that the front hedge is not so high that close approaches to the front of the house cant be seen from the road or by neighbours;

* installing a monitored CCTV system around the home;

* establishing if there are any Home Watch schemes in your street;

* using tracking devices on or in vehicles that can discover the vehicle's location should it be stolen;

5. Deflecting offenders

* the use of timer switches to make your home look occupied when you're away on holiday;

* you could ask a neighbour to park their car on your drive if they have more than one vehicle if you are going away;

* if you are friendly with your neighbour you could ask them to keep an eye on your property whilst you are away;

* give your neighbour your mobile number if you are comfortable to do so in case of an emergency.

If you have information about a crime or anyone you suspect may be involved in criminality, then please let us know using the online ‘Tell Us About’ form on our website www.westmercia.police.uk.

If you aren’t comfortable contacting us directly, you can pass on information anonymously to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Thank you for your help. It is only by the police and the public working together that we can prevent and detect crime.

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Message Sent By
Claire Doughty
(West Mercia Police, Police Community Support Officer, Upton)