Crime prevention tip of the week
As 2016 comes to an end and the
Christmas holidays approach we’ll
start this week’s tip with some
shopping safety. Oddly enough
these ideas work all year long.
Remember when making purchases if you use debit or credit, protect your PIN. Never share your PIN with anyone and protect the keypad from casual view when you use one.
If you take a vehicle to do your shopping, please remember that the lots of malls are being watched by people who steal for a living; if you bring a load of gifts out to your vehicle and put them in intending to continue shopping, ensure you either place the packages in the trunk or under a cover so they are out of site. If you intend to go back into the mall get in your vehicle and drive off of the lot. Yes, I know it is hard to find parking. Yes, I know you’ve done it a million times before. Drive off the lot come back in a different entrance and park somewhere else. Then your shopping will stay yours.
Speaking of your vehicle, don’t ever leave your purse or wallet in your vehicle. Anything you have of value needs to be out of site. Parking where you intend to stay, getting out and putting things in the trunk and going inside the establishment is the same as dropping off your Christmas shopping and going back in. Someone will pry it open and take what they want. Again you get to re-do your shopping and pay for the damage to your vehicle.
If you are leaving a London residence to go to your parent’s home let’s talk briefly about what to do to prep. Anything of value should already be on a list containing: make, model, serial number, unique identifying features and value in Canadian dollars. That list should be in a printed format not just saved to the laptop that will be lost or stolen. Your windows should also be locked; if they doesn’t lock then you need to measure the distance from the frame to the side (horizontal sliding window) or top (vertical lifting window) of the moving portion of the window.
Go to a local DIY center, a.k.a. Home Depot and Home Hardware, buy a piece of one-inch by two-inch piece of wood and ask to have it cut to the size you need. You will get one cut free as a rule. If you have several windows know all the measurements and get them all done at the same time. The one inch by two-inch is eight feet long.
You should also lock your room door. Please remember the whole house should be secured like this. Every window and door should be locked. If you are leaving your computer in your student home, invest in a cable lock and lock it to something heavy and not easily disassembled.
Most importantly have a great break over the Christmas holiday season and come back refreshed and ready to learn.
If you have questions about this or any other crime prevention concerns please feel free to contact Steve Hartwick with Campus Security Services either by phone at 519-452-4430 ext. 4929 or e-mail at shartwick@fanshawec.ca.
Remember when making purchases if you use debit or credit, protect your PIN. Never share your PIN with anyone and protect the keypad from casual view when you use one.
If you take a vehicle to do your shopping, please remember that the lots of malls are being watched by people who steal for a living; if you bring a load of gifts out to your vehicle and put them in intending to continue shopping, ensure you either place the packages in the trunk or under a cover so they are out of site. If you intend to go back into the mall get in your vehicle and drive off of the lot. Yes, I know it is hard to find parking. Yes, I know you’ve done it a million times before. Drive off the lot come back in a different entrance and park somewhere else. Then your shopping will stay yours.
Speaking of your vehicle, don’t ever leave your purse or wallet in your vehicle. Anything you have of value needs to be out of site. Parking where you intend to stay, getting out and putting things in the trunk and going inside the establishment is the same as dropping off your Christmas shopping and going back in. Someone will pry it open and take what they want. Again you get to re-do your shopping and pay for the damage to your vehicle.
If you are leaving a London residence to go to your parent’s home let’s talk briefly about what to do to prep. Anything of value should already be on a list containing: make, model, serial number, unique identifying features and value in Canadian dollars. That list should be in a printed format not just saved to the laptop that will be lost or stolen. Your windows should also be locked; if they doesn’t lock then you need to measure the distance from the frame to the side (horizontal sliding window) or top (vertical lifting window) of the moving portion of the window.
Go to a local DIY center, a.k.a. Home Depot and Home Hardware, buy a piece of one-inch by two-inch piece of wood and ask to have it cut to the size you need. You will get one cut free as a rule. If you have several windows know all the measurements and get them all done at the same time. The one inch by two-inch is eight feet long.
You should also lock your room door. Please remember the whole house should be secured like this. Every window and door should be locked. If you are leaving your computer in your student home, invest in a cable lock and lock it to something heavy and not easily disassembled.
Most importantly have a great break over the Christmas holiday season and come back refreshed and ready to learn.
If you have questions about this or any other crime prevention concerns please feel free to contact Steve Hartwick with Campus Security Services either by phone at 519-452-4430 ext. 4929 or e-mail at shartwick@fanshawec.ca.
