Safe & Secure
Our Safe & Secure campaign aims to highlight the simple ways that people can protect themselves against falling victim to crime.
In West Mercia we are fortunate that crime levels are low, but that doesn't mean that everyone can't play a part in making sure it stays that way.
The campaign focuses on three main areas:
Through sustained activities delivered by local policing teams, we aim to reassure people that crime is low and also make it even harder for criminals by boosting crime prevention awareness.
Home Security
Even though less than one per cent of homes in West Mercia are burgled each year, domestic burglary remains a top priority for the police.
Burglaries tend to be committed by opportunistic thieves who exploit any vulnerabilities in home security, so the Safe & Secure campaign seeks to provide homeowners with practical, common sense advice on how to protect themselves.
This has included:
- Lighten Up – providing residents with low energy light bulbs and timer switches to help them 'Lighten Up' and make sure their homes look occupied, even when they are out.
- Safe & Secure Home Checks – local policing teams offer simple security advice to elderly and vulnerable people in their own homes.
- Safe & Secure Home Scheme – packs are sent to residents when police officers on patrol notice their homes may be vulnerable. The packs include a covering letter from the officer to explain the specific vulnerabilities seen and leaflets and contacts with further home security advice.
- Nip Garden Crime in the Bud – leaflets and promotional seed packets have been distributed by local policing teams to boost awareness of the measures you can take to keep your garden safe from thieves.
In addition, we have produced a wide range of targeted promotional materials to remind homeowners of the need to keep their homes secure.
You can find our full range of home and garden security advice in our Advice Centre .
Anti-Social Behaviour
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a high priority for West Mercia Police. Our aim is to raise awareness of the impact it can have on other people and encourage communities to respect and tolerate each other. Through the Safe & Secure campaign we are focusing on:
- Rowdy / nuisance behaviour
- Vehicle-related nuisance.
Safe & Secure initiatives aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour have included:
- Respect Week – a week of events to promote the work being undertaken by local policing teams and partners to successfully tackle anti-social behaviour.
- Mini Motos leaflets – information for riders and parents of young people with mini motos on riding responsibly, safely and within the law.
- Halloween – a campaign to promote responsible 'trick or treating', with posters available for people who would prefer not to have visitors during Halloween to download and display on their doors.
Vehicle-Related Crime
Vehicle crime in West Mercia continues to fall every year - and we are working hard to reduce it even further. Only around 1% of all vehicles registered in the force area have been involved in vehicle-related crime. Most vehicle crime is opportunistic and can be prevented.
The Safe & Secure campaign aims to make life harder for the criminals by educating the public on how to make their vehicles crime-free zones. Initiatives include:
- Safe & Secure Vehicle Scheme – an ongoing initiative which aims to notify registered owners that their vehicle was identified as vulnerable by a member of their local policing team. Registered keepers of vehicles are sent information packs with simple crime prevention tips. Included in the packs is a 'Stop - All Valuables Have Been Removed' display postcard.
- Download the 'Stop Thieves' postcard, and when you print it, both sides will appear on a single side of A4 paper. All you need to do is fold the paper in half and display it (‘STOP’ side up) on your dashboard.
You can find more vehicle crime prevention information in our Advice Centre .