Protecting your property

Protecting your home is quite easy and does not have to cost the earth. You can protect your items for free by registering your property onto the Immobilise website.

Good lighting is an excellent way to deter a thief. Fitting exterior lighting with dusk to dawn sensors is a good idea. These are light sensitive; they come on when it gets dark and turn off when it gets light. Using low wattage bulbs means they can be a very cheap and effective security deterrent.

Burglar alarms are an effective deterrent and can provide you and your family with peace of mind. Government statistics show that 60% of burglaries on homes fitted with burglar alarms are unsuccessful so it really is worth investing in a home security system. Additional information on home security can be found on the Home Office website and the Secured by Design website.

Protecting your garden

Your garden has a big role to play in deterring burglars, check out our 'Rich pickings' leaflet for further details.

Are genetic marking solutions such as SmartWater and/or UVA marker pens for items such as video/TV's still a good idea?

In short, yes they assist in the identification of stolen property. The marking of property is a simple way for the Police to detect crime and return any identified stolen property to the rightful owner.

Police always check recovered property to see if there are any such markings on the property. They also make regular visit to second hand shops to see if any identifiable stolen property has been taken into the shops.

A recent good example of this is where property was identified as stolen, the person who took the stolen property into the shop was identified and later charged. The suspect appeared at Sheffield Crown Court and received an 8 year prison sentence for burglary.

What systems could I join?

There are a number of initiatives including tracking devices for laptops and phones which can be accessed via simple apps, for example the Prey Project. Immobilise is still effective and there are systems in place where CCTC van be streamlined to phones when an alarm goes off.

The criminal has to cross the threshold of the house before a burglary is recorded, this could even include reaching in and stealing from a windowsill. A broken window would constitute an attempt where there is clearly an intention to enter the premises.

Just one other area to consider is the scenario where a house has an integral garage and there is a door from the garage into the house, this will also be recorded as a Dwelling Burglary If the offender enters the garage and only steals from within the garage.

South Yorkshire Police are committed to tackling this type of crime and dealing with those that handle or receive stolen goods.If you have any information in relation to criminal activity or handling stolen goods please contact us (link to Contact Us section) or Crimestoppers anonymously.

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