July 26, 2018: Neilly’s Neighbourhood;
Summertime Safety Tips.
By Dawn Neilly, OPS.
Property theft. Break and enters. Theft from vehicles. Summer in the city. That would be this summer and the city is Ottawa.
Law-abiding citizens are not the only ones out and about taking advantage of the fine weather. While you’re pushing the baby in her carriage, warming a bench with a good book in hand, keeping a coffee business thriving, or on your way to work or yoga, someone else is stealing a bicycle from your porch, cleaning the jewelry out of your bureau drawer or taking the GPS out of your car.
Summer should be a time for relaxing and recharging your batteries, not making a police report or filling out an insurance claim.
What describes the would-be thief? Desperate, determined, opportunistic, inventive. Anything that isn’t locked up or out of sight is fair game to someone who plays by different rules.
You forgot to put your ladder away? Excellent access to an upper storey open window. Have you considered having a home security inspection done? In less than an hour you can learn a few good tips that will make your home less attractive to someone who wants to break in. Give me a call at 613-236-1222 ext. 5871 to set that up.
Our vehicles often seem to function like a home away from home. It’s so easy to leave stuff in the car rather than cart it in and out, in and out. If that’s your habit, then you may be a prime target for the would-be thief looking for anything with some kind of resale value, CD’s, GPS’s for example.
Best practice? Everything out of sight or completely removed and your vehicle locked up. In case that’s not enough, you can get an “All Valuables Removed” card to place in your car window. Stop in at 1064 Wellington (Hintonburg Community Centre) for one or print your own from the Ottawa Police web site ( http://ottawapolice.ca ).
If you see any suspicious activity in your neighbourhood you can report it online at http://www.ottawapolice.ca .
You might be on vacation but the would-be thief is not. Protecting your property is a year-round activity. Have a crime-free summer!
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