Celebrate Safely this Holiday Season
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Tips from a personal-safety and anti-theft point of view.
Winter Holiday Safety Tips
This holiday season, don't let the spirit of giving
lull you into giving burglars, muggers, and pickpockets a better chance
to do their dirty work. Crooks love the holidays as much as everyone
else, especially because it's an opportune time for crime.
Homes jam-packed with glittering gifts. Stores,
malls, and downtown streets teeming with unsuspecting shoppers. People
rushing around, stressed out and careless, looking for last-minute
gifts, trying to get everything done. It's enough to make a crook giddy
with holiday joy.
Here are some tips on how to celebrate safely this holiday season:
If
You Are Out for the Evening
- Turn on lights and a
radio or TV so it looks like someone's home.
- Be extra cautious
about locking doors and windows when you leave, even if it's just for a few
minutes.
- Don't display gifts
where they can be seen from outside.
If
You Are Traveling
- Get an automatic timer
for your lights.
- Ask a neighbor to
watch your home and park in the driveway from time to
time.
- Don't forget to have
mail and newspaper delivery stopped. If it piles up, it's a sure sign you're
gone.
If
You Are Shopping
- Stay alert and be
aware of what's going on around you.
- Park in a well-lighted
space, and be sure to lock the car, close the windows, and hide shopping bags
and gifts in the trunk.
- Avoid carrying large
amounts of cash; pay with a check or credit card whenever
possible.
- Deter pickpockets and
purse-snatchers. Don't overburden yourself with packages. Be extra careful with
purses and wallets. Carry a purse close to your body, not dangling by the
straps. Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants
pocket.
- Shopping with kids?
Teach them to go to a store clerk or security guard if you get
separated.
Protect
Your Vehicle
- Loading up on all
those gifts is a sign of progress in the holiday shopping. But if those packages
are left out in the open after they're in the car, your car has become a likely
target for thieves. Remember the old cliché "Out of sight, out of mind?" The
same idea applies to items in your car.
- Always lock your
vehicle and store all items out of sight. Breaking into an empty car isn't worth
a thief's time. However, anything left in plain view – from your holiday gifts
to spare change, sunglasses, CDs, cell phones or briefcases – may tempt a
thief.
- Help prevent your
vehicle from being stolen by always locking your car and using anti-theft
devices. And although it's cold, never leave your vehicle running while you run
inside your home or a store – even if for only a minute or
two.
After
You’ve Opened the Gifts
Burglars know that
many households have new, and oftentimes expensive, items in their homes
following the December holidays – especially items such as new computers and
peripherals, stereo components, televisions, cameras and other electronic
equipment.
In too many cases, residents make it easy for burglars to figure out
which homes to target by putting boxes that identify their new gifts in plain
view with their other garbage. Avoid becoming an easy target for post-holiday
burglars by not leaving boxes for new electronics and other items in the alley
or other recycling pick-up locations for several days at a time.
Instead, break
down any boxes you are throwing out, put them in garbage bags and place them
inside a trash can. (In many cases, especially with computer equipment, you
might consider keeping the boxes for safe storage, shipping or moving in the
future.) Think about keeping broken-down boxes inside – in a garage, for example
– until the evening before your regular recycling pick-up.
Some burglars actually
look inside garbage/recycling cans for evidence of holiday gifts. And, of course, if you
see someone suspicious casing your street or alley, call 9-1-1. If you see a burglary in progress,
call 9-1-1.
Celebrate
Responsibly
The holiday season is
a time of celebration and revelry. Drinking and driving is a danger to everyone
on the road. Remember that the risk isn't worth it -- if you choose to drink
alcohol at a party, don't drive. Take a cab, use public transportation or a
designated driver. Have fun, but remember to celebrate
responsibly.
Source: Metropolitan Police Department, via American Red Cross National HQ.
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