Kerrisdale Oakridge Marpole Community Police Centre

Crime Prevention Tips

Crime Prevention Tips For Spring 2010

We offer a few tips to exercise with caution: Stay Alert!

Walking is a wonderful exercise for everyone. Always be careful while walking alone.
It is best to walk with a family member, spouse, companion or a dog.
Walk in a well-lit area.
Walk opposite direction of traffic to see who is coming towards you.
If you suspect someone following, change direction and look at the person for description following you or make a quick change and cross to the other side of the street.
If you have a cell phone with a camera, make a quick shot of the person for description and contact the closest police service or dial 911.
Carry a whistle.
Avoid alleys and walk in the middle of the sidewalk.
To avoid purse snatchings, we offer these tips: Be alert. Carry a hidden pouch or fanny pack.
Carrying purses over the shoulder and over the neck is a dangerous manner, should an intruder attempt to snatch the purse from you. If you must use a purse, tuck it in close to your body.
Separate your money into different compartments of your clothing or another bag, should you need to carry a large sum of money.
If walking towards your vehicle, hold your keys ready with your thumb and right or left index finger position, you can use the keys for a weapon should the worse scenario happens. Check the interior and exterior before entering.
Wear reflective gear.
Wearing electronic devices with earplugs while walking or jogging is not wise, should someone make a surprise attack.
Scream “Fire,” rather than “Help” to draw attention.
Be alert at every bus stop while waiting at all times. Know the schedules ahead would be beneficial. If it is longer, do not hesitate to call someone to pick you up. Whoever is on the receiving line of the call, please pick up the person to avoid consequences. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Stats have shown females sexually assaulted at bus stops or kidnapped while waiting for a bus. Contact authorities immediately while the description is fresh in your mind and it may save another victim.
Never leave personal belongings, electronic devices, briefcases, purses, backpacks unattended.
Be vigilant on the Canada Line, Skytrain, or other buses. Thefts do happen.

Crime Prevention Tips For Fall 2009

Please click here to view the full article of the Fall 2009 Crime Prevention Tips.

Crime Prevention Tips For Spring 2009

Gardeners should take their cell phones or land phones with a long extension, keys, and lock their doors, windows, garages before they start work. The remote device for keys has an alarm which is also very useful, should a panic button is necessary if you are being attacked on your property. An intruder fears attraction. Make an inventory of all your gardening tools and engrave them with your personal licence numbers as a safety precaution.

Glue down all garden ornaments as they have become target items for thieves and make a photo of your garden prized plants or shrubs.

Put back all ladders back in a secured storage area. Ladders have been used to reach upper floors of homes.

Trim down all shrubbery and trees to avoid an intruder hiding inside or behind your property.

While walking, be mindful of strangers. If necessary, carry shoulder purses over your neck not loose over your arms to avoid purse snatchers while walking, running or putting your groceries and other purchases in your vehicles.

Never leave anything in your vehicles as any article is worth money to the auto thieves, apart from making damages.

Never walk or jog or bike with technical and electronic equipment to avoid unexpected intruders. It is a distraction.

Always walk facing traffic and wear light clothing.

It is prudent to carry an umbrella, flashlight and a whistle to distract attention.

Never open your doors to strangers.

If travelling, never use your own address on your tags, use initials rather full name on tags, and watch your luggage at all times.

As a preventive measure, close all doors, windows, blinds, shades, skylights, drapes or curtains and any other point of entry of your homes and garages. Reinforce all locks and check before exiting. Use bars for lower floors. If you make it difficult for their point of entry, they will move on to another property.

Use a monitor for all lights.

Lock all doors and windows of vehicles, use an immobilizer, club, wheel locks and gas locks.

Crime Prevention Tips For Fall and Winter 2008

To avoid auto theft and vandalism, put your vehicles in a safe locked garage or area.

Always avoid leaving in view packages, money, jewellery, musical instruments, briefcases, purses and school bags. Any visible items would be giving thieves an opportunity to break into your vehicles. Use auto theft devices, immobilizers, wheel locks, gas locks to make it more difficult for entry. Our volunteers do weekly vehicle audits in our neighbourhoods.

Observe speed zones while driving through school zones and construction zones, as the fines are expensive for violators.

Bikers should wear helmets, a mandatory requirement, reflective and light coloured clothing, have lights and blinking reflectors front and back of bikes.

Personal Safety

Be wary of strangers at bus stops, subways or walking alone.

Be wary of purse snatchers.

Be wary of strangers following you home especially while driving into garages.

Home Safety

Always lock all doors and windows before leaving and coming.

Use multi use lighting system to give an appearance of a lived-in residence, while you are away at work or on holiday, exterior and interior.

Carry a cell phone whenever alone.

Lock garages and put away all expensive tools and equipment, freezers containing valuable goods and auto items.

If using an alarm system, install an auxiliary system for non-stop protection, upper and lower floors and inside garages.

Use key lock windows and skylights.

Put away ladders as tools for entry.

Become Block Watch members to learn more about personal and home safety.

We hope our website will give our neighbourhoods some knowledge on crime prevention and to make it a safer environment.