Beat the burglar

THE Government was accused of going soft on crime when Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf suggested not all convicted burglars need be sent to prison.

Despite his subsequent attempt to explain new sentencing guidelines, they have been slammed in some quarters as a "charter for burglars".

But whether you think burglars should be locked up on principle or agree that sometimes community sentences might be better, one thing is obvious. The best way to cut down on burglaries is to stop them happening in the first place.

Log on to just about any internet search engine and key in the words "home" and "security" and you will be deluged with sites offering to sell you devices to help you protect your home against burglars. They range from simple garage or shed intruder alarms costing a few pounds to sophisticated burglar alarm systems that could set you back hundreds of pounds.

You do not, however, have to spend a fortune to protect your home and property from opportunistic criminals. "There is no doubt about it, a burglar alarm system is the ultimate deterrent," admits PC Jim Shanks, a community safety officer with York police. "But it is not necessary for people to spend a fortune. I believe that by taking a few common sense precautions, certainly opportunities for crime can be reduced.

"A burglary is all about opportunity. If you leave an opportunity there at your home, such as an open window on the ground floor or else something that gives the impression that the house is not occupied, like milk on the doorstep or newspapers stuck in the letterbox, these things are signs (to the burglar)."

So what simple, practical measures can you take to prevent burglars targeting your home?

First, and most obvious, is to make sure your doors and windows are properly closed and locked when you go out. That's the case even if you're just going into the back garden for a few moments, for example to put out some rubbish. "That's how long it takes for somebody to open a door and steal something," points out PC Shanks.

If you want to leave windows open for ventilation, you may be able to fit a restrictor, a gadget you can buy at most DIY shops that will allow your window only to be opened a certain distance. Ask first, though, because not all windows can be fitted with them.

If you are going away, it is important you leave the impression that your home is still occupied. Leave a light on or, better still, fit a 'timer' switch that will automatically switch the lights or a radio on and off at certain times. The Safer York Partnership can supply you with an easy-to-use timer switch for just £5. It may also be worth asking your neighbour to draw the curtains morning and evening while you are away, and to collect milk and newspapers, suggests PC Shanks.

One popular target for burglars these days is car keys - which can, obviously, then be used to steal your car. So instead of leaving them in plain view in the kitchen, put them somewhere out of sight. As spring approaches, garden sheds and garages will become popular targets; so you should do what you can to protect them.

Garden sheds are, by their nature, quite flimsy. One thing you can do to make them more secure, suggests PC Shanks, is line them with chicken wire. That includes the window though, obviously, you leave a space for the door. The door can then be secured with a good, strong padlock.

Rear gardens that back on to footpaths or public rights of way are particularly vulnerable to burglars. For extra protection, says PC Shanks, you can heighten fences with trellis work and then train thorny plants like climbing roses up them. Thorny shrubs planted outside ground floor windows can also be a good deterrent. "A prickly plant is the cheapest crime prevention you can get," PC Shanks says.

Burglar alarms, though, are the ultimate. The Safer York Partnership has a range of alarms for sale or hire that will not break the bank. They include battery-powered alarms for garage or shed doors or windows, that operate on the basis of a broken connection setting off an alarm, and cost £5 each; a plug-in alarm for home, garage or shed costing £25 that is set off when an intruder breaks a wide-angle beam; and personal attack alarms that you can carry with you and that are set off when you pull a pin out, that cost £5.

The Safer York Partnership also has free UV marker pens so if your property is stolen and subsequently recovered by police, it can be identified and returned.

- For general advice on making your home more secure, call the Safer York Partnership on 01904 554567 and ask for a community safety officer. If you would like your local police beat officer to visit your home to give advice, call York Police on 01904 631321 and ask to speak to the beat officer for your area.

Age Concern York has a range of inexpensive security devices, such as locks, chains and security lights, that can be supplied and fitted free of charge for those over 60 who are on low incomes or have recently been burgled. Call 01904 427150.

Updated: 11:29 Thursday, January 16, 2003