Personal, Child and Family

Personal Safety

Basic Street Sense

• Wherever you are - on the street, in an office building or shopping mall, driving, waiting for a bus or subway - stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings.
• Send the message that you're calm, confident, and know where you're going.
• Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you uneasy, avoid the person or leave.
• Know the neighborhoods where you live and work. Check out the locations of police and fire stations, public telephones, hospitals, or stores that are open late.
• Look confident. Walk with your head up, as if you know where you are going. Keep your hands free - don't walk about with them in your pockets.
• Keep to well-used roads. Don't use alleyways or short cuts.
• Think ahead and plan your journey, avoiding deserted areas
• In the dark, always stick to well-lit areas.
• If you think you are being followed, cross the road.
• If you start to be frightened, try not to panic. Always try to think around situations.

Public Transport

• Use well-lighted, busy stops.
• If someone harasses you, don't be embarrassed. Look for help around you.
• Watch who gets off with you. If you feel uneasy, walk directly to a place where there are other people.

Travel Tips

• It is always worth letting someone know where you are going, the route you intend to take and when you expect to return. Plan your journeys - work out how to get there and back.
• Put aside enough money for the return fare.
• If you lose your fare money or ticket, speak to the driver/guard/ticket officer and explain. Carry some identification on you to prove that you are genuine.
• Never be tempted to walk home alone, especially if it's dark or you are unsure of the area.

If Someone Tries to Rob You

• Report the crime to the police. Try to describe the attacker accurately. Your actions can help prevent others from becoming victims.

Child Safety

• Always travel in pairs or groups. Never walk or cycle alone.
• Do not take shortcuts through lonely areas.
• Make sure your parents get to know your friends' parents.
• Don't accept anything - gifts i.e. chocolates & cool drinks or rides - from strangers.
• If a stranger or a strange vehicle approaches you, keep walking or run if you have to.
• If you see a suspicious character hanging around the school or its entrance, tell a teacher watchman/security guard.
• Wait in line to get on the school bus. Do not push or shove.
• Don't play in the street while waiting for your transport home.
• If you travel by bus, wait for it to stop before you get on or off.
• Do not forget to tell your parents if your driver/attendant/anyone misbehaves with you.
• Don't run in front of or behind the bus to cross the road.

Home Security

Burglary Prevention Advice

Burglary, on the whole, is an opportunist crime. A burglar will select his target because it offers him the best opportunity to carry out his crime undetected and with the fewest number of obstacles in his way. A building that presents itself as unoccupied and insecure is far more likely to be targeted than one that is properly secured.

If you take the precautions outlined below, a thief will quickly see what he is up against and probably look for an easier target. Be aware of the need to protect your home and yourself at all times

• Install good quality locks
• Consider installing an intruder alarm system.
• Display your house number clearly to enable emergency vehicles to find your house easily.
• Never leave notes which a thief could read (to family, friends, etc).
• Don't leave keys in "hiding places" around the house for a thief to find. Leave spare keys with a trusted friend.
• Keep valuable documents in a bank, with a lawyer, etc.
• Don't leave your house keys with your car keys when having your vehicle serviced or when using a parking station.
• Never keep large sums of cash or easily stolen valuables, such as jewelry, unprotected in your home. Keep valuables you don't often use in a bank safe deposit box.
• Lock all the doors and windows whenever you leave the house, even if it is just to go into the backyard or to the nearby shop
• Don't invite the burglar into your home. Remove temptation. Make it look as though your house is occupied.

Before you go on a vacation

• Tell your neighbour when and where you are going.
• Cancel mail, newspaper, milk etc.
• Give your neighbour a phone number
• Turn telephone sound down.
• Lock all doors, close all windows.
• Install outside lights and keep them on at night.
• Have a neighbour or friend pop round to clear your letterbox.

Bogus Callers

Not all burglars break into homes - some will try to trick or con their way in. They are known as bogus callers and will pretend to be on official business from respectable concerns such as the Utility Companies - Gas, Electricity and so on. They may claim to be tradesmen or workmen calling to carry out urgent repairs.

Bogus callers succeed because they sound believable, so don't be fooled. Make sure in your own mind that they are who they claim to be by following these simple steps:

• Think before you open the door - use the door keyhole or look out of the window to see if you recognise them
• Ask callers for proof of identity. Genuine tradesmen should carry some sort of identification. Check this carefully. If you are unsure, telephone the company the caller claims to represent.
• Beware of callers who attempt to distract you by claiming that they have seen something untoward in your rear garden or somewhere which may encourage you to leave your house - they may have an accomplice awaiting this distraction.
• If you are not convinced of the identity of the caller, don't let them in. Ask the caller to come back later and arrange for a friend, relative or neighbour to be present on their return or ask the caller to contact this person.
• What if someone asks to use your phone? Say no, and send them to the nearest phone booth. Or offer to make the call for them, locking them outside your home.
• When you admit a repairman or salesman, do not leave him alone for even a few minutes.
• If you get a 'wrong number' phone call, don't chat. Just say 'wrong number' and hang up quickly. Never give your name and address.