Stay safe during longer daylight hours: Lancashire Police urge residents to secure their homes

It's been a couple of weeks now since the clocks went forward and the evenings are getting lighter. Police across South division, which covers the areas of Preston, Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire are warning people to make their home and belongings as hard a target as possible for thieves to hit.

With many people looking forward to the extra daylight time, the lighter evenings and warmer weather are often seen as perfect conditions for opportunistic thieves and burglars as people may let their guard down when it when it comes to securing their property.

Things that you can do to help protect your home and property:

·         Close and lock your doors and windows when you go out, even if you are just in the garden. Check doors and windows before going to bed.

·         Always use good quality padlocks with covers on all outbuildings so they cannot be easily cut off.

·         Make sure side gates / sheds / garages are locked and keep boundary fences, walls and gates in good repair.

·         Install security lighting and / or CCTV cameras around your property where possible; they are a great deterrent.

·         Don’t leave keys where they can be seen or reached through the letter box.

·         Always lock your car and don’t leave things like shopping bags on display.

For more advice on how to keep your home and property safe and secure, visit: Lancashire Constabulary - Lancashire Police - Burglary

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