Safety Tips

Following these basic safety tips provides a good start for safeguarding you and your family. Contact your local Community Police Centre for additional information about Neighbourhood Watch and other crime prevention programs.

Protect yourself...

• Ensure your home is well lit and has good locks (sign up for a free home security inspection at your Community Police Centre).
• Always secure all doors and windows when your home is unoccupied.
• Join Operation Identification (contact your Community Police Centre to borrow an engraver to mark your property).
• Get to know your neighbours.

If you're going away...

• Leave the following information with a trusted neighbour:
  
  
  • where and how long you're going;
  • how you can be reached, in case of emergency; and
  • if anyone will be visiting your home (e.g., gardener, repair person).
  • Ask that neighbour to pick up mail or newspapers, mow the lawn, shovel the driveway, etc. to make your house look lived-in.

Watch for...

• Suspicious persons or activities (e.g., unaccredited door-to-door salespeople, someone taking a "short cut" through your neighbour's backyard).
• Vehicles passing by many times, suspiciously parked or constantly traveling through alleyways.
• Obvious invitations to burglars (e.g., open garage doors, unlocked cars, the accumulation of newspapers on a vacationing neighbour's doorstep).

If you see something suspicious...

• Write down the description of any suspicious persons (e.g., complexion, body build, height, weight, age, type of clothing worn).
• Get the make, model, colour and license plate number of any suspicious vehicles.
• Notify police and other Watch Members of any suspicious persons or activity.
• Remember, if it's a crime in progress, don't put yourself in danger - call 9-1-1 immediately.