23 February, 2018 | Safety and Security
Download the Home Safe Brochure
Home should be a place where you and your family can enjoy safety and security.
Criminals are often opportunists, and will will target homes with poor home security to steal belongings.
You can secure your home by taking a few simple steps which will significantly lower the risk of your home being the target of thieves.
Here are some simple steps we all can take to protect our home.
Secure your home
- Fit quality security doors, windows, locks, alarms, lighting and warning signs
- Secure all windows and doors
- Activate your alarm, smoke detectors and security lighting
- Lock your gates, sheds and garages
Check your home
- Ensure your street number is clearly visible
- Keep trees and shrubs trimmed to improve visibility around your home
- Lock away items such as ladders, tools and gardening equipment
- Don’t leave spare keys outside the home
- Don’t leave valuables, mobile devices or keys (home or vehicle) in clear view
- Mark valuable property and record details
When away from home
- Use a timer to activate an internal light or radio to give the impression someone is home
- Have family, a trusted friend or neighbour check on your home. Inform them of your travel plans, park a vehicle in the driveway, collect the garbage bins and mail
- Consider redirecting your mail, newspapers and deliveries
- Never advertise your travel on social media sites
For further information about protecting your home, please download the Home Safe brochure.
For more crime prevention information visit www.police.nsw.gov.au
13 December, 2017 | Safety and Security
The ACCC is warning the community to be wary of scammers trying to ruin their Christmas holidays.
“Scammers often try to take advantage of people during the busy Christmas period and prey on our vulnerabilities at this time of year. For example, they may take advantage of you looking for a good deal on a family holiday, searching for a loved one’s present at an online store, or even that you’re expecting a present from someone through the post.”
Watch out for three common holiday season scams:
- Travel scams: scammers trick their victims into believing they’ve won a travel prize or scored a really good deal on a travel package, like a cruise. Unfortunately these seemingly too-good-to-be-true holidays are nothing more than a scammer’s con. In the past 12 months, nearly $86,000 has been lost to this scam, with about 1750 reports.
- Online shopping scams: scammers will set up believable looking online stores to trick people into goods that don’t really exist. They might also set up fake online classified or auction site listings. They entice people with legitimate looking discounts and may even advertise items as the perfect Christmas present for a loved one. This scam has cost Australians more than $1.3 million in the past 12 months, with more than 6440 reports.
- Parcel delivery scams: with millions of packages moving across the country to get under a Christmas tree in time, scammers will send fake ‘missed delivery’ notices to potential victims. These scams are aimed at getting people to download malware or ransomware onto their PCs, which can be costly to remove; or steal their personal information. Scamwatch has received about 1700 reports of this scam in the past 12 months.
“Your personal information is often just as valuable to a scammer as your money so always be careful about the information you give out online,” Ms Rickard said.
“There are some simple tips you can follow to stay ahead of scammers these holidays.”
“If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do your research on any online stores you’re using, especially if it’s for the first time. Never do a deal or make a payment outside the online auction site you are using. If you are buying from a classified website only hand over the money when you have physically inspected the goods. Finally, never open attachments or download files you receive out of the blue—no matter who the email comes from or how legitimate it looks,” Ms Rickard said.
Follow @scamwatch_gov on Twitter and subscribe to Scamwatch radar alerts to get up-to-date warnings.
Source: ScamWatch website (11 December 2017)
24 October, 2017 | Safety and Security
As hordes of children, or ghouls, vampires, zombies or whatever the case may be, prepare to head out onto the streets this Halloween, the NSW Police have provided some advice on ensuring children remain safe.
NSW Police Corporate Sponsor for Crime Prevention, Chief Superintendent Brad Shepherd, said with more and more children celebrating Halloween in New South Wales it is a timely reminder to provide everyone with some simple guidelines to ensure ‘trick or treating’ activities are done safely.
“Younger children should always be supervised by a parent, carer or responsible adult at all times.”
“It is important to recognise that not everyone celebrates Halloween each year — so it is best to stick to houses with decorations on their properties.”
Police will not tolerate damage to property.
“While it is an exciting time for everyone, remember to be aware of your surroundings and take extra care when crossing roads and driveways,” Ch Supt Shepherd said.
“If you’re a parent or carer heading out to join in the ‘trick or treating’ fun, make sure your house is locked and secure.”
It’s also a good idea to drive with extra care around the neighbourhood, as there will be a lot of excited kids around the streets and they may forget to look out for cars and bikes. “
Halloween safety tips for big kids
- Tell your parents or a responsible adult where you’re going and what time you’ll be home;
- Be respectful of your neighbours;
- Remain in familiar well-lit areas in your neighbourhood and don’t take short cuts;
- Be sure to stick to the footpaths and take extra care when crossing driveways or roads;
- Stay with your friends at all times and carry a mobile phone when ‘trick or treating’ in case of emergency;
- If you’re riding a bike or using a skateboard, ensure you’re wearing a helmet;
- Under no circumstances should you get into a vehicle with someone you don’t know; and,
- Don’t ever enter a stranger’s home, even if they invite you inside.”
A reminder on Useful Phone Numbers:
Tweed Heads Police Station: 07 5506 9499
Police Assistance Line: 131 444
Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000
In the event of an emergency or life-threatening situation, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
6 April, 2017 | Local News, Safety and Security
(by Pam Blowers, NHW Assistant Coordinator)
The ‘Safety for seniors’ information sessions being conducted by Tweed Heads Police are a crime prevention initiative which started in May 2014.
The information sessions cover topics including personal safety, home security, credit card fraud and scams and rorts, particularly those currently happening in and around the Tweed Heads and surrounding areas.
Most of the people living in and around the Tweed are good honest folk, just like you and I, going about their daily business. It is most unfortunate that there is a small element of people who are criminals. Senior citizens are often targeted by the latter group and the aim of creating awareness by conducting information sessions is to increase awareness and keep people and property safe.
Tweed Heads Police have visited over 40 retirement communities, nursing homes, manufactured home villages (over 55s) and Clubs and Associations and talked with some 1200 senior citizens.
During the presentations, senior citizens often share stories and experiences where they have been victims of crime. Some of these ‘stories’ relate to:
- Personal safety
- Home security
- Nuisance and scam phone calls
- Credit card fraud
- Concerns about the pay-wave payment system
- Cyber safety
- Scam attempts via phone and internet
Everyone who attends an information session is provided with a sample bag of useful booklets and handouts which they can share with other senior citizens and with their families. Crime prevention is relevant to everyone in our community.
If you would like to book a Safety for Seniors Presentation for your community group just phone the Tweed Heads Police Station on 07 5536 0999 and ask to speak to the Crime Prevention Officer, Senior Constable Brad Foster.
4 February, 2016 | Safety and Security
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Have you heard the expression SOFT BREAK AND ENTER?
Recently, when speaking with our local Crime Prevention Officer, he explained that SOFT BREAK AND ENTER means a thief entering a home without forced entry. This comes about by household residents not securing their home correctly, leaving garage doors open, not securing the door from the garage to the house interior or otherwise leaving an entry point for criminals to enter by.
You have heard folk say, “It will not happen to me” and unfortunately it can.
This bad habit by householders means that money, handbags, vehicle keys or anything of value could be stolen, or even worse, come face to face with the person who wants to steal your property or even harm you.
You would have often heard the Police and NHW Volunteers use the expression LOCK IT OR LOSE IT. While this tends to apply to vehicle security it’s just as relevant (or more so) to your own home. This is not a slogan we take lightly and neither should householders; even when at home.
Residents, when home day or night, should secure their home. Make sure when you are in the backyard to ensure front of house is secured, that windows & doors are all locked, EVEN ON HOT DAYS. If you don’t have security screens fitted to your windows or doors then we strongly suggest inquiring into obtaining some.
It goes without saying when retiring for the night to check all entry points to make sure they are secure. We would even suggest double-checking. If you have children then also secure their bedroom windows. It has been known that intruders have gained entry to the home through a child’s bedroom window.
Now you know how important it is when we say LOCK IT OR LOSE IT. Practise good home security for your peace of mind and those in your household. Don’t let your neighbourhood become known as a soft target area
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2 December, 2015 | Safety and Security
A large number of break and enters are easily preventable. Many of these offences occur during the holiday season. A large number occur when your home appears to be vacant and it becomes obvious that no one is home.
Most homeowners and renters spend tens of thousands of dollars fitting their home with contents like appliances and furnishings. Additionally, the amount spent on purchases such as clothes and entertainment items like cameras and CDs can also be significant. All these are investments which are worth protecting.
If you’re planning on going away during the upcoming school holidays you should:
- Check that everything is locked and secured before leaving. Lock ALL windows, doors, garden shed, gates, garages and any other areas of your home that are able to be secured.
- Ask trusted friends or neighbours to clear your mailbox and check on your home occasionally while you are away; advise them of where you can be contacted.
- Ensure your phone message doesn’t state that you are away on holidays as this may give thieves the information that they desire.
- Stop all deliveries that you are expecting.
- Check with your local police station to see if they offer patrol services for unattended residences during holiday season.
For more tips and information download the Home Safe information brochure.
