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Perth Crime Map Shows Burglary Hot Sports in the City

While Perth is a relatively safe city, crimes such as burglaries do occur and have been slightly on the rise in recent years. A new tool called Perth Crime Map has shown the areas of the city where crime is at its highest, with areas such as East Perth, Freemantle, and Rivervale having relatively high crime rates when compared to other areas. Whether you live in an area with a high crime rate or a low one, it’s still important to take care of your home and put preventative steps in place. Burglars want to hit easy targets, so just a few small changes can make your home too much hassle to break into. Here are a few tips to help prevent a burglary.

Lock up – even if you’re just nipping out

Burglaries don’t always take a long time. Sometimes opportunistic thieves will wander around neighbourhoods just looking for an unlocked door or window, and can be in and out before you know it. Even if you’re just nipping to a neighbour’s house or relaxing in the back garden, make sure doors and windows are secure.

Never hide a spare key under a rock or near your property, no matter how secure you think your hiding place is. Someone could easily spot you retrieving your key and simply wander into your home when you’re out.

Change locks when you move in

When you move into a new house, consider changing the locks. The old homeowner may have handed over their set of keys, but who knows how many copies they’ve made? People often make spare sets for house guests or pet sitters, and there could be several copies of your front door key out there. Changing the locks is cheaper than trying to replace expensive items after a burglary.

Add extra security to vulnerable points

Put yourself in the shoes of a burglar. What would be the easiest way to break into your home? Some extra security measures you might want to consider include:

A deadlock for the front door
A more solid front door – flimsy doors are too easy to kick in
Window restrictors – they allow windows to be open enough for fresh air, but not enough to squeeze in
A screen door that can be locked
Shutters

Don’t leave valuables on display

Take a walk around the outside of your home and see what valuables you can spot. From laptops to jewellery boxes, there’s bound to be something on display that will tempt a potential burglar. Thieves particularly like stealing cash because it makes their life easier, so handbags and wallets should be stored out of sight. If you buy something expensive like a new TV or laptop, don’t leave the box on the kerb on bin day. Break it down and put it in the bin, or take it straight to the tip.

Get friendly with the neighbours

Knowing your neighbours and building a community is one of the best ways to combat crime. Burglars are less likely to strike if they think a neighbour will call the police. Consider starting a Neighbourhood Watch, and put signs on the street so that potential thieves know that they’re being scrutinised. Make sure a trusted neighbour knows when you’re on holiday so they can quickly report anything suspicious.

Make your house look occupied when you’re away

Try not to make it look obvious when you’re not at home. Get a neighbour to park in your driveway and collect your mail, and consider investing in automatic or app-controlled lights so it seems like someone is in.

Illuminate your front garden

Burglars like to break into homes that are secluded, as there’s less chance of them being spotted, so try to keep your front garden open and easy to see from the kerb. Install some motion sensitive lights, as somewhere being well-lit will present a challenge to burglars. High walls and fences are easy to climb, and can actually help a burglar as they have somewhere to hide and are less likely to be spotted by neighbours.

Burglaries can be upsetting, and thankfully they are quite rare in Perth, although they are more common in certain areas. It’s important to take precautions, no matter where you live, and this means making a burglar’s life more difficult. Whether it’s by making your home look lived-in, changing your locks, or getting neighbours to look out for each other, there are lots of preventative measures you can take to make a break-in less likely.