Road Town Anti-Crime Group warns against Xmas burglars!
themselves if presents can be easily seen through any windows or doors,” stated group member Eugenia O’Neal in a press release. “Don’t keep your presents on view. Don’t put them under the tree until the last possible minute, early on Christmas morning. Close your curtains, particularly after dark and hide your presents in a secure place. Don't hide them in obvious places like under the bed or in the wardrobe.”
The press release also stated that while local statistics on Christmas burglaries have been hard to come by, the trend around the world is for burglaries to spike around this time and into the New Year. Burglaries as a whole have been rising steadily in the territory for the past five or six years with more and more property-owners reporting that they have been affected.
The Group recommends that before wrapping presents people should make note of model and serial numbers and keep receipts separate so they have a record and thieves cannot return items to the store.
“After opening presents write your name and address on them with a permanent marker to make them harder to sell on and therefore less attractive to thieves - they are also more likely to be returned to you if found by police,” says group member, James Angus, adding that they should also take pictures of items like jewelry and watches.
The Road Town Anti-Crime Group advises that people rip up the boxes their presents came in and taken them directly to a garbage bin. Leaving them outside of houses is a clue to burglars that brand new and valuable contents are inside.
“We’re also getting a lot of reports of burglaries where the burglars didn’t have to use force to break in because the door or the window was left open so we’re advising all tenants and property-owners to check their locks including the locks on their vehicles to make sure they are all in good working condition,” Ms. O’Neal said. The Group advises using high-quality locks on windows and doors and making sure to lock up each time you leave your house or apartment, even if you think you won’t be gone long.
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