As reported in the December edition of CCN, we will be running news and advice from the NHW Scheme and Camber’s newly-formed Community Speed Watch throughout 2025, funded by the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner. If you join the NHW Scheme, you can receive weekly emails updating you with advice to help keep you safe from crime and news about crimes committed – and solved – in the locality.
With the recent news of burglaries targeting holiday homes in Camber, here is some advice from the NHW Scheme:
WIDE(N)
Protect your home against burglary with WIDE(N). With the darker nights still here, we turn our focus towards home security, and how we can all take steps to protect our homes against burglary.
Want to protect your home? Think WIDE(N): Windows, Interior, Doors, Exterior, (Neighbours) to have the best possible protection against burglary. Research shows that a combination of security actions provides up to 50 times more protection for your home versus no security.
A combination of WIDE actions is the most effective and recommended by police throughout the country. Taking simple measures, such as locking your windows, leaving indoor lights on a timer, double or deadlocking your doors, and having exterior lights on sensors, can significantly reduce your chances of being burgled.
As well as advice around securing your doors and windows etc, we have added an N to the tested WIDE burglary prevention acronym. We believe neighbours are a key part of reducing burglary. Active Neighbourhood Watch schemes can be an effective crime prevention tool by increasing surveillance. If an area is clearly marked as a Neighbourhood Watch area, it alters offenders’ perception of risk, knowing that residents are encouraged to consciously consider their own home security, and promote social interaction and neighbourhood cohesion among communities.
We believe neighbours keeping an eye out for each other is key to preventing burglary. As with all types of crime, prevention is much better than cure.
SHED SAFETY
Many people do not secure their sheds or garages as well as their homes, often using easy-to-break locks. This makes them prime targets for burglars who might find tools to break into the main house.
Top tips to secure your shed or garage:
- Consider an alarm or CCTV.
- Lock tools securely in lockers or boxes.
- Secure bikes to the ground or a lockable stand within a locked shed or garage.
- Cover mowers and bikes with an old sheet to keep them out of sight.
- Always keep shed or garage doors locked and closed when not in use, even if for a few minutes.
- Mark your property and take photographs; consider painting tools with your name or postcode, or using forensic marking.
