Going on vacation this summer?
There are few tips the New Westminster Police Department wants you to keep in mind before you head out on your holiday.
First and foremost, says New West Const. Michael Blackstock, don't post details of your trip on social media.
"People like to post on social media, particularly Facebook ... that they're about to go on a trip," he says. "That's all well and good but the problem with social media sites is people don't necessarily have their security set up very well."
With lack security on social media, Blackstock says it's easy for thieves to find homes that are going to be empty during certain times.
"The criminals or the thieves get to know who's out and not home," he says. "They use the social media like everybody else does and that's sometimes how they know that people aren't home or away."
According to Blackstock, if people really want to share photos and updates with family members they should make sure their privacy settings on social media platforms like Facebook are top-notch. Otherwise it's best to wait until you get back, he adds.
"Social media is a great thing for staying in touch but at the same time we usually recommend that people wait until they're back from vacation before they post all their photos," he says.
- Install an alarm system
- Buy a small safe to lock up important documents and valuables
- Make sure all doors and windows are locked before you leave
- Use a secondary lock, like a piece of wood, on windows and sliding doors
- Have someone come by to check on the house and to turn lights on and off
- Ask a neighbour to collect flyers and newspapers so they don't pile up
- Keep your car(s) in your garage
- If you can't keep your car(s) in the garage, make sure they're left empty
- Keep an inventory of all your valuables in case a break-in occurs
- Get insurance
Last year, she and her family travelled south of the border for her birthday. They were gone only one night but by the time they crossed back into Canada the next day, she had dozens of messages from her dog-sitter saying their home had been broken into.
"Sometime in between her (the dogsitter) leaving at 11 p.m. and then coming back, our house was broken into," Arbo tells The Record.
And the thief was especially motivated.
Arbo says investigators with the New Westminster Police Department told her that the thief broke a basement window as a way to check if there was an alarm. When no alarm sounded, the thief then attempted to break into the house through the back door, even using a pick axe from the Arbo's shed, but when that didn't work the thief went around to the front door and kicked the door, which is visible from East Columbia Street, in.
"They ransacked my room and stole all my jewelry, and then they stole my laptop and my son's piggy bank," she says.
While Arbo doesn't believe she was targeted, the experience has made her and her family more protective of their property.
Since the break-in, the Arbos installed top-of-line motion detecting lights, replaced the bolts in their front door with heavy-duty ones and hung curtains in their basement windows. They've also gotten to know their neighbours better to prevent any future break-ins in the area.
"Our neighbourhood is closer now as a result of us being broken into because I told pretty much every single person what had happened, and as we all got talking we started learning, 'Oh, well actually we got broken into two years ago,' and 'Oh, we got broken into a year ago,' and suddenly we started putting connections that this was more common than we thought," Arbo says.
Today, the neighbourhood is more likely to report suspicious people or activity in the area than they would have prior to the Arbo's break-in, which is another important tool in preventing property theft while away on vacation, Blackstock says.
"Neighbours are great because they'll keep an extra eye out for any suspicious activity that might be going on," he says.
As for Arbo, the break-in wasn't something she'd want to experience again but she is pleased with the positive effect it has had on her neighbourhood.
"It's brought us together as a neighbourhood, and we're also a little more likely to questions people we don't recognize because we know who we do know who we recognize now," she says.
Blackstock encourages anyone who sees suspicious activity in their neighbourhood to call the police, either 911 or the non-emergency line at 604-525-5411, and report it.
"We really encourage anyone to call us if they see anything suspicious," he says. "If they think it's odd, we probably think it's odd as well."
