Mark Ranola
I return to this subject because of a recent series of burglaries in the Rushmoor area, where Asian gold is the main item stolen.
There have been several burglaries over a period, so this article is not to cause any alarm, but to create an awareness within our Asian communities for crime prevention.
I think one thing that we all would agree on is that one victim of crime is too many and a house burglary is one of the more distressing crimes; it is where someone invades your place of safety and steals items of personal value which often cannot be replaced.
It is therefore important for the police to work with the community to help try and prevent this sort of crime, rather than have more victims.
Crime prevention starts outside your home, where things like gravel driveways, motion activated lighting and high side gates with locks are a good starting point which may stop a criminal from progressing further.
These are also relatively inexpensive things to buy and once purchased, they are there for good, so very cost effective over the passage of time.
When I have written about this subject before, you may recall that I don`t recommend any crime prevention / security company, or what may work best, because this is a personal choice; it will also depend upon your budget and the type of home you have too.
Therefore, for crime prevention advice, please visit our website where there is a lot of relevant and useful information (https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/)
The reality is that most of us do keep valuable items and those of personal value at home with us, therefore it is important to think about where these are kept and documenting these items too in the event of a crime.
Home insurance policies vary greatly depending on the type of cover you chose, but any high value items will usually need an agreed valuation for you to make a claim, so please do consider this.
Do take photographs of any jewellery and place the item against a clearly marked ruler so that the size can be seen. This way, if items are stolen, there is a better chance that you can show the police exactly what has been stolen and local pawn shops can be handed pictures to look out for anyone trying to sell them. This not only increases the chance of the items being recovered to the owner, but also helping to identify the criminal, or the person who has subsequently handled the stolen items, which is also a criminal offence.
You also may wish to consider using a bank deposit box, where you can safely store any high value items. This is the most secure method, but it may not suit everybody.
I know that our Nepali Police Community Support Officer, Durga Thapa, has been doing his best to communicate with the Nepalese community to spread awareness, but as ever, I am grateful to the Directors and staff at Everest Times in allowing me to write in this newspaper, where there is a far greater reach, especially online.
Hart and Rushmoor boroughs are among the safest areas to live and work, so I wish to leave you reassured that you do live in a low crime area, but as I started by saying, one victim is too many, so I trust this prompt will help the community to take some time to evaluate your home security and how you look after your household items.
My contact details are below, therefore if there is any specific advice you would like, please do make contact. If you would wish to speak to a Nepali speaking officer, then this can also be arranged.
Namaste.
PC 1860 Mark Ranola.
Yateley Police Station.
101 (mark.ranola@hampshire.pnn.police.uk)
