5 Ways to Help Prevent Crime in Your Neighborhood

No matter where you live, you want to keep your family and home safe from criminals. A good place to start is by helping to prevent crime in your neighborhood. Here are five ways that you can help make your neighborhood a safe place to live.

#1. Get to Know Your Neighbors and Neighborhood

Consider starting or joining a neighborhood watch program in your community. These programs can help reduce crime in neighborhoods because crooks do not want to be caught in the act of committing their crimes.

#2. Watch for Suspicious Behavior in Your Neighborhood

You can prevent crime by learning to recognize suspicious behavior in your neighborhood. Knowing who your neighbors are, makes it easier to recognize when something is not right. For instance, if you know that your neighbor works during the night, seeing a stranger looking in their windows or going into their home could be considered suspicious.
Suspicious behavior is not always easy to identify. While a person hanging out in a parked car casing your neighborhood can be identifiably suspicious, there are less obvious behaviors you should be aware of. For example, a common scam for some criminals is to go door-to-door pretending they represent one of your local utility companies. Be sure to alert your neighbors if something doesn’t seem right.

#3. Don’t Hesitate to Report Crimes to Police

– Someone driving erratically
– Vandalism
– Someone threatening to harm another physically
– Gunshots
When calling 9-1-1 for a life-threatening situation, make sure to provide the police with the time of the incident and key details that can help them investigate the suspected criminal activity.

#4. Get Involved in Your Community

– Dog Walker Watch Program
– Participate in National Night Out
– Crime Stoppers USA
– Nextdoor or McGruff Mobile smartphone apps
These programs help keep you and your neighbors informed of suspicious activity in your neighborhood and alert you when crimes occur.

#5. Don’t Make Your Home a Target

– Keeping your doors and windows locked.
– Not bragging about having firearms, jewelry, or other valuables in your home.
– Not advertising that you are going away on vacation.
– Closing blinds and curtains to keep thieves from looking in your windows.
Having a reliable home security system is one of the best ways to make your home less attractive to thieves. Even if a crook is brazened enough to try to break into your home, your security system can notify you and the police that assistance is needed.
Contact SafeTouch to learn more about the options we offer for home security systems.