It’s quite sad to think that children are free to roam around neighbourhoods safe and sound a couple of years ago. Now, we have our children tucked inside our homes in fear that someone might be out there to get them. Neighbourhood safety is a priority among many of its residents. It is something that every resident thinks about every day, especially if they have children living inside their homes.
It’s certainly a fear that is grounded by experience and statistics. The most common form of crime is property crime, and the majority of these crimes are theft and burglary inside people’s homes. Unfortunately, there is also a rise in violent crimes inside neighbourhoods. The world is becoming much scarier each day. Thankfully, the main way to increase the safety of our homes is through the neighbourhood. As long as we work together, we can fight crime together. Here are ways you can keep your neighbourhood safe.
Make Friends in Your Neighbourhood
We might not have the same close-knit community before, but we can still bring those days back. It’s time for you to talk to your neighbours or fellow parents and make friends with them.
Making friends with your neighbours was one of the best ways you can make your neighbourhood safer a couple of years ago. You can ask each other to check your homes whenever you’re out on trips and call if any suspicious activities are happening near your homes. This can be quite unreliable because your neighbours live a separate life, but it can be worthwhile doing. It can add an extra layer of security in your home, and if everyone in your neighbourhood is doing it, it adds an extra layer of protection in the safety of your community.
Form a Neighbourhood Watch
If you don’t know what a neighbourhood watch is, it is a group of people whose intent is to keep their neighbourhood safe. This particular group usually lives close to one another, and they work with a local law enforcement force to reduce crime within their community. A neighbourhood watch has been known to reduce crime rates in communities that have them. Their mere presence can already deter any criminal activity from happening.
However, it’s important to note that you are not responsible for handling the crimes happening in your community as a part of the neighbourhood watch. You are also not allowed to enforce the law among your neighbours. Your main job is to report the crime to the authorities and wait for their immediate action. Remember that any neighbourhood watch member can be tried in court if they have done anything remotely violent to supposed criminals. These criminals can then run free if the member is proven guilty.
If you plan to form a neighbourhood watch, you must set a meeting with your community members. Ask them if they are willing to participate and at which times. After determining participants, you’ll have to set a meeting with your local law enforcement to discuss training and a course of action. The law enforcement agency must approve the group, or else there is no point in setting a neighbourhood watch. After you are trained and approved, you’re free to patrols over your community during designated times.
Install a Network of Security Systems
Security systems can work fairly well in your neighbourhood, especially if it has high crime rates. This, alongside a neighbourhood watch, can drastically reduce crime rates in your community because people won’t commit crimes if they know that there is a possibility of them getting caught. The combination of those two things has already increased the chance of that happening.
Before you install a network of security systems in your community, you can ask for donations from people willing to participate in this network. Ask for a quotation from multiple companies. Many security companies such as SMS Security are willing to put various security devices in people’s homes enough to create a network where it can check everyone’s home within a specific radius. Additionally, they know the right places to put security devices in your community because of their expertise. Yes, this can be quite costly, but the security it provides is immense.
Improve Lighting
Lastly, your community must improve its lighting. Dark neighbourhoods are more susceptible to crime because of low visibility. This can be problematic for people who live near those areas. By improving lighting, you are increasing the visibility of a crime, making security efforts much easier in your community.
It’s safe enough to say that you can help your community reduce crime and become a lot safer for its residents by following these programs. However, it’s not something that will happen overnight. You’ll have to start by asking your neighbours regarding your community’s view towards safety and work from there as a start.
