Community policing in Broomhill

The following information for Broomhill residents comes from Broomhill Forum:

Inspector Darren Starkey reported at the Forum meeting that his team is now responsible for the Central Community Assembly area and that additional staff are being recruited for the Broomhill area in particular. Overall, crime has fallen by 20% in the area, but burglary from HMOs and theft of mobile phones are, increasingly, a cause of concern. During a recent check in Broomhill, police were able to gain free access to 20 out of 40 properties simply because the doors were not locked.  A recent initiative has improved security by fitting ‘split follower’ lever locks, which stop the levers from opening the doors from the outside, but allow free escape from the inside face of the door.

Inspector Starkey pointed out that:

§           basic ‘eurolocks’, which are commonly fitted to UPVC patio doors, can easily be twisted from the outside (by smashing the PVC) to gain access, so householders should check these.A simple upgrade is available.

§           car keys are commonly left overnight on worktops in kitchens or by front doors or in jacket pockets, where they can easily be found. It was suggested that keys should be hidden more securely or taken upstairs, as burglars rarely venture to the upper floors of a property.

§           the following security applications for phones and pcs were have been found to be effective : preyproject.com (a GPS locater for computers); findmyiphone.com or wheresmydroid.com – free applications for smart phones that take and send a photo of anyone trying to make off with the phone, then send an alarm call. igotchagps.com is a commonly used tracker system for cars.