Sadly, in January we’ve had some trouble in the area of Castlefield by our office from three people on bikes with their faces covered in balaclavas. They have been mugging people by snatching their phone. We saw them outside a nearby shop so informed the police, but were told that they could not attend for 20 minutes. The police throw resources at these things and then something else pops up. They don’t have the funding they used to and so some of our security falls back to us. What can we do? Here are a few tips:
- Don’t walk around with your phone in your hand, especially at night as the phone then illuminates and shows the world you’re using your phone. Try to keep it out of sight.
- We love our music, but by having your headphones in you’re removing one of your important senses. If you can’t hear them approaching you have no time to act.
- Walk home together from work. Safety in numbers.
- Easy to say after the event, but don’t walk home drunk. Get a taxi. It’s so worth the few pounds to get home safe.
- At home, make sure the front door to your apartment block locks behind you. Security is key.
- Don’t leave your apartment front door open. In the main, when we have a problem it’s because someone didn’t lock their front door.
- If you live on the ground or first floor, close your windows when you go out and don’t leave them open when you’re sleeping.
- Don’t leave anything of interest in your car. An empty bag on the back seat can look interesting to a thief. They will put a window through on your car costing you hundreds to check out an empty bag.
- Sat navs – not such a big issue now that lots of cars have these built in, but don’t leave them stuck to your window inside your car. Would you leave £150 in notes on the dashboard?
- If someone buzzes your intercom with any story about needing access, simply say sorry and hang up. They will need to speak to the person they are attending for. Don’t be tricked.
It’s so important that we appreciate what’s happening around us and our security all the time as we can’t always rely on the police being there immediately. Be safe, act sensibly, and keep your wits about you. Sometimes we can place ourselves almost as an invitation to be mugged or robbed. In this day and age, we are often carrying £500+ of electronics. It’s so inviting. Stay safe and out of harm.
