Home Security and Personal Safety

Home Security doesn’t need to involve expensive alarms and technology, some simple steps can make your home less attractive to criminals.

• Avoid leaving open windows on the ground floor or which are easily reached, especially in hot weather.
• Make sure your locks are working properly, use the locks on your doors, gates and garages and use door chains to vet callers.
• Use cheap timers to light up the house when you are out so it looks as if someone is at home.
• Avoid having expensive items easily visible through windows.
• Security mark your valuables, you can use an ultraviolet ink pen or a product such as Smartwater.
• Where possible have external lighting, low dusk to dawn is recommended rather than movement activated.

If you have particular concerns about your security Community Safety has specially trained crime prevention officers who can advise, contact the team, here are our contact details

Here is a link to an information guide which has been prepared by Age UK, ‘Keeping yourself safe at home, out and about and online.’

The Council’s Lifeline service has been helping people to live safely and independently within their own homes for over 30 years using a range of the latest systems and equipment. The locally based Monitoring Centre is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To find out more here is a link to the Lifeline page.

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service provide fire safety advice. A FREE Home Fire Safety Visit (HFSV) can be carried out for the more vulnerable such as the elderly, people living alone and those with reduced mobility.

The visit includes a home safety check to help reduce the risk of fire in the home, including the checking and fitting of smoke alarms where required. This includes alarms suitable for those with a hearing impairment and giving advice on a fire escape plan.

The Safe Place scheme gives vulnerable people a short term ‘Safe Place’ to go if they feel in need of support when out and about, helping people feel confident and safe in their community and able to remain independent. Shops, businesses and public buildings who are a ‘Safe Place’ will have this sticker in their window. The local directory of ‘Safe Places’ is available here.

Loan Sharks

Many people encounter financial troubles from time to time, unfortunately this can sometimes lead to people falling victim to predatory illegal money lenders (Loan Sharks). This usually involves extortionate interest rates, a continuing dependency on the lender and often threats and intimidation. The England Illegal Money Lending Team investigates and prosecutes illegal money lenders while supporting those who have borrowed money from a loan shark. Here is a link to their Stop Loan Sharks website for advice, support and reporting.