Don’t let thieves ruin your holiday joy
Published 9:48 am Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The holiday season is a time for joy! It is also a time to be wary of the holiday scrooges who are out to ruin the holiday season by burglarizing, pick pocketing, and thievery.
Unfortunately, burglars view the holiday season a little differently. For them, it is a time of opportunity to burglarize your home for cash, credit cards, gifts and other valuables. Nothing can spoil the holiday season faster than becoming the victim of a crime.
The following tips will help promote an enjoyable holiday season without incident.
• Always lock windows and doors when you leave your home or apartment, even if only for a few minutes.
• Shop with a companion whenever possible. (The change of being victimized drops dramatically.)
• If shopping at night, try to park in well-lit areas.
• Don’t be overburdened with packages (Carrying several shopping bags makes you look vulnerable. If a store cannot hold your merchandise until you finish shopping, place all purchases out of plain view or in the trunk of your car. If you leave the store to take packages to your vehicle, and your shopping isn’t done, relocate your vehicle to a different part of the parking lot.)
• Carry only what you need. (Keep your purse in front and close to your body. Men should keep their cash/wallets in their front pocket.)
• Be aware of your surroundings at all times. (Know who and what is around you to avoid being caught unaware. It also allows you time to react if something does appear suspicious.)
• Check your vehicle exterior/interior before entering and exiting the vehicle.
• Locate your keys prior to going to your car and use the alarm or alert button to signal if something is wrong.
• Keep all car doors locked and windows closed while in or out of your car. Set your alarm or use an anti-theft device.
• Do NOT post to your social media account that you will be out of town! (Bad guys love to hear that they have plenty of time to break in and completely ransack your home.)
• Trust your instincts. (If you have an intuitive feeling something is wrong or suspicious, react immediately and take action to reduce your risk of becoming a victim.)
• The Vicksburg Police Department is a member of Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers will pay an award for any information about a crime, please call 601-355-8477 or 1-888-827-4637.
• Display confidence. Criminals choose a victim who looks like the easiest target.
• Ask a friend or neighbor to periodically stop by your home to pick up mail, piled up newspapers, or flyers hanging on the door knob. (This will keep burglars from knowing you have not been home in several days.)
• Invest in timers for lighting. (Burglars look for occupancy cues like outdoor lights burning 24 hours a day. Lights that stay on for long periods of time convey to burglars that you are away from the home for an extended amount of time.)
• Always remember to arm your residential alarm when leaving the home.
• Do not leave descriptive telephone answering machine messages announcing that you are or will be out of town. (This lets burglars known when the best time to come into your home would be during holidays.)
• After Christmas day, don’t pile up empty gift boxes from your new electronic devices for the garbage pick-up. Break down or cut the boxes up to conceal the items better. (Burglars appreciate you advertising that you have expensive gifts inside for them to steal.)
• Do not hesitate to call 911 immediately if you feel threatened or you are victimized.
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Walter Armstrong is chief of the Vicksburg Police Department.