Many of us go on short or longer holidays in summer. In order to spend your summer break as pleasant and safe as possible, police officers advise you to ensure some basic protective measures before leaving home.
By taking preventive measures and securing your property, you can significantly reduce the opportunities for crime and you avoid unpleasant events, such as break-ins into apartments, houses and vehicles, vehicle thefts, daring robberies, etc. Here are some useful advice and recommendations, because you can do the most for the security of your property yourself.
Protect yourself against burglary in your flat or house
The number of break-ins into flats and houses, including holiday cottages, is increasing year by year, and the perpetrators are becoming more and more cheeky or violent. "Opportunity makes a thief" and a burglar will prefer to choose that flat or house where there will be the least obstacles to the crime and the least risk of detection. A building that is unoccupied because the occupants are on holiday, for example, or is clearly without security, is more likely to be the target of a burglary. Particularly tempting to burglars are open doors or windows, available access tools (e. g. crates, ladders to access otherwise inaccessible windows, etc.), gardening tools that can be used to force a break-in, abandoned hedges or high fences, etc.
Therefore, before a long absence:
- lock the doors and close the windows;
- don't forget to turn off the gas and water and switch off electricity, especially on the appliances (so that you don't have to end your holiday early because of a water leak or fire);
- switch on the alarm device;
- ne puščajte ključev na skritih mestih, kot so poštni nabiralniki, predpražniki, cvetlični lonci ipd.;
- do not leave valuables and money at home (prefer to rent a safe during your holiday);
- do not leave messages about your absence (on answering machines, leaflets, online networks);
- make it look like someone is always home (have a friend or neighbor regularly empty your mailbox and open the blinds; install timers to automatically switch on lights; cancel newspaper deliveries);
- lock vehicles parked at home and safely store documents and keys, including spare ones;
- do not leave tools or other handy tools around the house;
- remove more valuable items from view;
- tell your neighbours how you can be reached;
- review your insurance policies to see how burglary damage is covered;
- write down the serial numbers of the most valuable items, or even photograph them, and if possible, label them (art paintings, jewellery, technical items, etc. ).
If you stay at home (this applies especially to the elderly and children):
- lock the door;
- do not open the door to strangers;
- always keep the safety chain fastened, especially if you are alone;
- use intercoms, video intercoms and peepholes at entrances.
Don't let your car become a target for thieves!
Do not make your vehicle a target for thieves and burglars in the car park. In summer, car parks are full of vehicles at major tourist centres, seaside resorts, mountains, spas and other tourist destinations. A slightly opened window of a locked vehicle is a perfect bait for casual thieves. With little effort and in just a few seconds, they can open your vehicle, where you may have your mobile phone, wallet, handbag or suitcase... Thefts and taking of motor vehicles are also common, especially those of a higher price class or those with less security, parked in unlit places, in open garages...
- So make sure your vehicles are properly secured.
- Avoid parking on poorly lit or unlit streets or car parks.
- Do not leave wallets, documents, laptops, expensive clothes and other valuable items in vehicles in visible places (shelves, seats).
- Protect your car radio.
- Close all windows and doors and lock the car and boot, as well as the steering wheel and petrol filler cap.
- Turn on the alarm device.
- Load your luggage into the vehicle just before your journey. Do not leave it on the roof of a car parked outdoors.
- If possible, do not leave the keys in the car unattended (car washes, garages), you will prevent their forgery and theft of the vehicle.
- Never leave the key in the ignition, even if you leave the vehicle only for a moment.
Don't leave your bicycles unprotected either!
Bicycles are a frequent target of criminals, especially in the summer months. They use your bicycle only for driving, for spare parts or for resale. These thefts are most common in compact estates of multi-apartment buildings and when bicycles are poorly secured, both in front of building entrances and in bicycle sheds and basements. We recommend that you:
- lock bicycles carefully after use in the designated areas (bicycle sheds, basements),
- use additional bicycle locks,
- the electronic device for bicycle security that can be bought is also an appropriate method of protection,
- when buying a bicycle, write down the serial number of the frame, brand, type, colour and characteristics of the bicycle and keep all documentation carefully.
Yachts, sailing boats and motorboats...
... should be firmly tied on the moorings. You should also use a chain and lock to lock the propulsion parts of your boat, and have your mooring checked several times by your acquaintances. Report any forced entry to the police immediately!
Thefts and bold thefts, street robberies
Thefts, especially so-called occasional thefts, are among the most common crimes. By leaving your wallet on the counter in a shop, with the car engine running when you quickly jump to get an ice cream, or leaving your camera on the beach while you're happily splashing around in the water, is a sure way to attract criminals. You must not forget about self-protective behavior even when you are on holiday in a new environment where you are not known.
In any case, we advise you to consider the following recommendations:
- do not leave handbags unattended or unprotected;
- do not display money, cards or other valuables in public;
- do not leave your flat and vehicle keys in inappropriate places;
- look after your children; teach them what to do if they get lost in a crowd (they should contact police officers, security guards or traffic wardens);
- take care also of your own safety and avoid dark streets, underpasses and dubious bars;
- when withdrawing cash from ATMs, banks or post offices, pay attention to people watching or following you;
- keep money and documents with you in appropriate places (in an inner pocket or around your waist), this is important mainly because of pickpockets;
- also do not leave items such as cameras, mobile phones, personal jewelry, bicycles, surfboards, etc. unattended in places that are easily accessible to villains;
- while on holiday abroad, it is best to exchange money in exchange offices or banks, rather than on the street, where tourists are exposed to scams or even robbers;
- at airports, bus and train stations, where there are usually many people at once, pay attention to your luggage. Also be aware that luggage visibly marked with your first and last name and address can give away information on the location of an empty apartment.
Villains on beaches, by swimming pools
Villains do not rest on beaches and pools, but work especially when they are crowded. Every year there are many thefts on beaches of handbags, wallets, documents, keys, mobile phones, money and other items that people take with them to the beach. While relaxing by the water or splashing around in it, you quickly forget that you left your handbag lying on the beach completely unattended.
Do not take valuable items to the beach!
Casual thefts from courtyards of residential buildings
Unfortunately, it is still too often a naive thought that random visitors to your courtyard will not steal your things, vehicles... Even at the construction sites of new buildings, there are various tools, building materials, etc. often unsecured and therefore an easy target for thieves.
We advise you
- do not leave unsecured tools, bicycles, motorbikes or open passenger vehicles in the vicinity of residential houses;
- install sensor lights in the courtyard of your residential house;
- keep an eye on potential door-to-door salesmans and other unknown persons who ask you for information until they leave your courtyard;
- after working on a new building, carefully lock your tools in a suitable room.
Shoplifting
Shoplifters take all sorts of things. Among the most frequently stolen items are clothes, technical items, food, drinks, cigarettes, etc. In order to secure property in shops, it is advisable to:
- install video cameras and mirrors in the shop and electronic traps on more valuable items;
- ensure the presence of at least one salesperson at all times.
Thefts from offices
Offices are the place where perpetrators mainly look for money, credit and other cards. An unlocked office is quickly accessible also to uninvited persons during your absence. Therefore:
- do not leave wallets in visible places or opened drawers in offices;
- prefer to store handbags in drawers or cupboards;
- preferably lock your office when you leave it, as it is not only your belongings that are accessible to unauthorised persons, but also any business documentation.
If, despite everything, you do become a victim of a crime, inform the police immediately!
Report theft, burglary of a vehicle or a flat or any other unpleasant incident immediately to the nearest police station, or call the police emergency number 113 or the anonymous police number 080 1200.
If you see signs of a break-in when you get home, do not enter, as the perpetrator may still be lingering in the building. In the event of a possible confrontation with the perpetrator, do not expose yourself, especially if he is physically stronger, armed or there are more of them - your own safety should be more important!
Do not touch or move anything until the police arrive to avoid damaging or destroying any traces that could lead to the discovery of the perpetrator of the crime.
If you become a victim of a crime, you can help trace the perpetrator by trying to remember as much information as possible about him: his appearance, the direction of his escape, the means of transport he used to drive away...