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Reduce Crime In Your Neighborhood

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Services for Real Estate Pros

Reduce Crime In Your Neighborhood

While we don't like to talk about it - or even think about it - crime is on the increase in our country, and throughout the world.

The number of burglars, muggers, auto thieves, robbers, purse snatchers, etc., is growing at an alarming rate.

Now you, as a resident, working with neighbors can help reduce the crime rate.

How? By organizing and/or joining a neighborhood program in which you and your neighbors get together to learn how to protect yourselves, your family, your home and your property.

Working together, you can get the criminals off your block and out of your area.

There's safety in numbers and power through working with a group. You'll get to know your neighbors better, and working with them you can reduce crime, develop a more united community, provide an avenue of communications between police and citizens, establish on-going crime prevention techniques in your neighborhood, and renew citizen interest in community activity.

 "Citizens Safety Projects" are set up to help you do this. It is a joint effort between private citizens and local police. Such programs have been started all over.

Maybe one already exists in your community. These organizations don't require frequent meetings (once a month or so). They don't ask anyone to take personal risks to prevent crime. They leave the responsibility for catching criminals where it belongs - with the police.

This is NOT a "vigilante" group. These groups gather citizens together to learn crime prevention from local authorities.

You cooperate with your neighbors to report suspicious activities in the neighborhood, to keep an eye on homes when the resident is away, and to keep everyone in the area mindful of the standard precautions for property and self that should always be taken.

Criminals avoid neighborhoods where such groups exist.

It's easy to get your group started. All you have to do is contact your neighbors and arrange a date, place and time for the first meeting. Hold the meetings at your home or that of a neighbor.

Try to plan a time that is convenient to most of your neighbors - preferably in the evening.

Then call your local police department. They will be happy to give your group informal lectures, free literature - and in many instances, window stickers and ID cards.

Remember, police officers can't be everywhere. Your cooperation with them is for the benefit of you, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood.

 

 

 

Comments (4)

Jerri McCombs, Broker/Owner
Dogwood Real Estate Services - Hendersonville, NC
Hendersonville Living

Great article. I do think crime is on the rise, we sure hear enough about it on the news.

We all need to learn to love the brave officers who protect us and allow them to inform us of what we can do to make our neighborhoods safer, so that they have more time for bigger things.

Police officers are our friends!

Aug 15, 2010 03:27 PM
Scott Hayes
(512) 786-8300 - Austin, TX
Realty Austin, Broker Associate

Great crime stopping tips. Never can get enough of them.

Aug 15, 2010 04:58 PM
Charles Stallions
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services - Pensacola, FL
850-476-4494 - Pensacola, Pace or Gulf Breeze, Fl.

What is  a crime? We are now taught to choose which ones can be broken and which one can't. The police don't know know which ones can be enforced and when enfocing one wrong, they go to jail.

We need to reduce laws and enforce the ones we have. If you hang around bad people and wind up on the wrong side of the law, you get what you deserve.  With DNA and cameras everywhere we should be able to convict and punish rapidly.

No more prisons, either death sentence or time in the military on foreign soil that way if they go AWOL it will be in another country where the cut your hands off or cane you for the crimes.

Aug 15, 2010 05:04 PM
Dan Edward Phillips
Dan Edward Phillips - Eureka, CA
Realtor and Broker/Owner

Hi MJ, great post and always an excellent idea.  Home owners take note!

Aug 15, 2010 05:59 PM