Christmas seems to be just around the corner now, so Warwickshire County Council and partners are sharing some top tips and advice to make sure you stay safe in Warwickshire this festive season.
Throughout December on the Safe In Warwickshire social media channels, the County Council will be sharing crime prevention advice and links to support services to help keep yourself, your vehicles and your property safe, so you have yourself a merry little Christmas (as Frank Sinatra once sang).
Focusing on preventing burglary, the advice is to not to leave Christmas presents on open display, especially in front windows. They become easy to see if lights are on and curtains open, and opportunist thieves may take advantage.
If you’re spending time away from home over the Christmas break, take time to lock all windows and doors, leave lights and a radio on timer switches so your home looks occupied, and consider security products such interactive alarms and doorbells.
Frank sang “let your heart be light” at this time of year, but when it comes to Christmas lights, don’t forget to be fire safe, whether you're at home or miles away this winter. Always turn them off if you're going out or up to bed.
It’s also the most wonderful time of the year… for vehicle thieves! One in five car break ins occur around Christmas time. This festive season, don’t let thieves have an easy ride.
If the worst happens and you are a victim of crime, everyone knows 999 but do you know how else you can report crimes to Warwickshire Police? If it’s not an emergency, you should use telephone number 101, or you can go online to report a non-emergency crime.
Across the county, Victim Support Warwickshire are available 24/7 on the phone 0808 16 89 111 and online to help people feel safer and find the strength to move beyond crime.
Warwickshire Trading Standards are reminding families to buy toys from reputable sellers to help ensure the product has had quality and safety checks. Cheap counterfeits, especially the latest fad or toy, are often poor quality and can easily break or be dangerous.
Look for the CE, UKCA and Lion Mark on toys and ensure that the present you are giving is age suitable for the child receiving it. The voluntary Toy and Hobby Association ‘Lion Mark’ is also an indicator that the product complies with legal safety rules.
Be particularly careful when buying or giving second-hand toys. These often come without their packaging or instructions.
Many will be writing letters to Santa, but Warwickshire’s Road Safety Partnership are urging people not to buy e-scooters this Christmas because it’s currently against the law to ride a privately owned e-scooter in any public place in the UK.
Continuing the theme of road safety, “faithful friends who are dear to us will be near us” at Christmas, but if you’re going out for a drink, don’t forget to book a taxi home for you and your friends before you go. Avoid the temptation to drive later or go out within walking distance of home. If out in a crowd, one option could be to agree a designated driver beforehand and keep them supplied with non-alcoholics as a thank you!
And while we are all together, out and about enjoying “happy golden days”, it’s good to know that community safety partners are working with Counter Terrorism Policing to keep Warwickshire safe this Christmas. Stay alert for anyone filming exits, entrances or CCTV, unattended bags or anything that doesn’t feel right. If you see something, tell staff, security or report it online at gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency call 999.
Councillor Andy Crump, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Fire & Rescue and Community Safety, said: “It’s important to ensure our communities stay safe during the festive season, so I urge people to follow these tips from the County Council and our partners.
“There are unique risks and challenges associated with this time of year, as a result of more community events, increased activities and gatherings with family and friends, Christmas shopping, more traffic on the roads, alcohol consumption, and people decorating their homes, to name just a few.
“By raising awareness of some sound advice from expert teams at the County Council and our partners, we hope it will be a safe and enjoyable festive season.”
Lots more community safety advice will be shared throughout the month on the Safe In Warwickshire Facebook and X (Twitter) accounts, including on issues such as business crime, rural crime and cyber-crime.
For some people, winter, like other times of the year, can be a tough time. Some will be affected by domestic abuse. Others will be struggling with substance misuse, whether that’s drugs or alcohol, or may be a victim of drug exploitation. You don’t need to “muddle through somehow”. Support is out there for anyone who needs it.
You can get access to 24/7 advice, information and support on the Safe In Warwickshire website: https://safeinwarwickshire.com/