A new nightly three-step routine is the focus of a local crime prevention campaign being launched by police in a bid to drive down break and enter and vehicle thefts.
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Orana Mid-Western police has launched the '9pm routine' initiative to help encourage residents to develop effective crime prevention habits before going to bed.
"This is just a friendly reminder to remain vigilant to ensure the safety of your property during this campaign," Inspector Mark Fehon of Mudgee Police said.
The '9pm routine' involves checking in on three effective crime prevention habits at night including: removing valuables from your vehicle, locking your car and house, and securing keys in a spot out of plain sight.
Other prevention habits include:
- Install an alarm system to enhance the security
- Install CCTV cameras
- Keep a detailed and up to date property inventory (include brand, serial numbers, markings etc)
- Sheds or external storage areas are secured with locking devices
- External doors have deadlocks, windows have keylocks, internal door between garage and house has a deadlock and keys aren't left in locks
- Secure letter boxes and adopt safer methods of parcel delivery
- Ensure trees and shrubs can't be used as hiding places, security lights cover main areas around premises, fences are sturdy, and gates have keylocks
District commander, Superintendent Danny Sullivan said while these measures may seem obvious, they're not always put in place which makes it easy for opportunistic thieves.
"What we found is break-ins to homes are quite opportunistic crimes, and when the house is unlocked and the keys left in an easy place to find, it makes you more likely to become a victim of crime," he said.
"Once these three really easy behaviours become a habit, we'll really make life tough for criminals in our area."
The district commander is urging residents to report any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood via Crime Stoppers.
"The reason for that is we want to know what you know, not who you are," Supt Sullivan said.
"Community engagement is the foundation on which local policing should be built. The community support that is required for us to police effectively is only possible through ongoing community engagement.
"It's really important this information comes to us anonymously, and then is fed onto those teams whose job it is to target those intent on causing crime in our community."
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