CHRISTMAS the New Year, and the time through to Australia Day is a time of great celebration, with church services, street parties, and other holiday events. Unfortunately, criminals also enjoy the festive season, but for nefarious reasons.
There are several sheets of twenty favourite crime prevention tips available for download from the Neighbourhood Watch in Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby website. One of those sheets is dedicated to the Festive Season.
For example, those newly received Christmas presents so precious to the givers and recipients are also precious to thieves. Put away the packaging from new expensive items in your recycling and other bins or elsewhere out of sight from the street.
If you host a party at home, please lock the front door between guests coming and going. You might want to nominate a person to monitor people coming and going. Houses full of people do not deter thieves. They might even beckon them.
Slipping away from home for a day or part of a day, beaches are attractive places to visit, especially in January. As well as sun-protection measures like umbrellas, hats, and creams, you might want to take thief-protection measures.
Take the fewest valuables you must with you to the beach. Consider keeping those items you do take with you in a waterproof bag. You might want to nominate a person among your group to remain behind on the sand to watch your gear while you go in the water.
Leave other valuables behind in a hiding place in your car boot, and of course lock your car. Do not leave car keys hidden on your car.
Julia Eagles, Gay Balasubramanian, Simon Lennon, and the other Neighbourhood Watch volunteers throughout Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby offer our best wishes for 2022 to all readers of The Post readers. Always ready to talk about Neighbourhood Watch, we are contactable through nhwkuringgaihornsby@gmail.com.
And thank you to Tina Brown and her team at the HK Post for their support of Neighbourhood Watch throughout 2021. As a result of that support, and specifically our item in the November 2021 edition of the HK Post, a sponsor for Neighbourhood Watch NSW has come forward.