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Good Afternoon Resident Hope your having a nice day. West Midlands Police community alerts advise residents in Wednesfield to actively protect their properties from vandalism and criminal damage by implementing simple environmental design modifications. Vandalism is often opportunistic, but reducing hidden spaces and removing potential tools can effectively discourage offenders. Official WMP crime prevention guidance specifies the following key tactics to secure your home: Improve External Visibility Lower Front Boundaries: Ensure front hedges, walls, and fences are no higher than one metre. High barriers prevent your property from being seen from the street, giving vandals a place to hide. Strategic Lighting: Install dusk-to-dawn, low-level white lighting in vulnerable or low-visibility areas like side paths and rears. Fix lights at a minimum height of three metres using vandal-resistant casings so they cannot be easily tampered with. 2. Fortify Boundaries & Create Natural Barriers Defensive Planting: Use nature's "barbed wire" by planting one-metre-high sharp, prickly bushes or thorny shrubs beneath ground floor windows and along exposed walls. This removes a smooth surface for graffiti and makes unauthorised access painful. Avoid Loose Stones: When laying out your front garden or boundary markers, avoid rockeries or large, loose stones. Vandals routinely use these loose items as missiles to smash windows or damage property. Secure the Rear: Keep side gates, sheds, and outbuildings locked with heavy-duty padlocks. Rear fences should be taller (around two metres) and can be topped with a lightweight trellis that cannot support a person's weight and makes significant noise if disturbed. 3. Remove Temptation and Climbing Aids Maintain a Tidy Frontage: Keep driveways and gardens clear of waste. A messy exterior signals neglect and can invite anti-social Behaviour or vandalism. Secure Wheelie Bins and Tools: Store ladders, garden furniture, and wheelie bins securely. Leaving them out gives vandals easy climbing steps to scale flat roofs or access upper windows. Never leave tools outside that could be used to smash doors or pry open windows. 4. Reporting Vandalism in Wednesfield If you witness criminal damage occurring in real-time, dial 999 immediately. For non-emergencies, or to upload doorbell, CCTV, or dashcam footage of suspicious behaviour, report it via the West Midlands Police Online Report Portal. Thank you from your local Wednesfield & Heath Town Police Team. 
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