New research shows two thirds (67%) of people are worried about their home being broken into, yet there are simple, proven measures we can all take to reduce our chances of becoming a victim of burglary by up to 50%.
Neighbourhood Watch says ensuring your home has a combination of the WIDE features is proven to be most effective – and can be done in any home on a variety of budgets. The charity also believes neighbours keeping an eye out for each other is key to reducing burglary, so they have extended the well-known WIDE acronym to WIDE(N).
- W – WINDOWS: Keep your windows locked
- I – INTERIOR: Put interior lights on a timer
- D – DOORS: Double or deadlock your doors
- E – EXTERIOR: Put exterior lights on a sensor
- (N) – NEIGHBOURS: Keep an eye out for your neighbours
If you have been burgled recently, criminals know what’s in your house and may come back soon or once you have had time to purchase new items. Act soon to avoid being retargeted. Use the WIDE(N) advice for a combination of simple yet effective prevention measures.
To help people feel safer in their homes, Neighbourhood Watch has joined forces with their longstanding premium partner, ERA Home Security, to launch the Think WIDE(N) burglary prevention campaign. The campaign will run throughout March on their social channels and their website ourwatch.org.uk/thinkWIDEN, providing people of all ages and living circumstances with clear guidance on securing their home.
John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network, said 'It is not okay for two thirds of people to fear being burgled. More needs to be done to help people be and feel safer, and when it comes to burglary, prevention is always better than cure. Since 1982 we have been supporting communities to feel and be safer, and we know that by securing your home’s windows, interior, doors, exterior and keeping an eye out for neighbours we can all give ourselves the best chance of not being burgled.’
Helen Downer, President of ERA’s parent company, Tyman UK & Ireland, said “We can all follow the WIDE(N) advice set out by the Neighbourhood Watch to help protect our homes. Unfortunately, as statistical evidence shows burglary victims and their immediate neighbours have an increased risk of being targeted again, therefore we must all act to help people feel safer where they live. With over 180 years of expertise in offering home, security solutions ERA is delighted to be able to support this campaign”.
Throughout 2022 Neighbourhood Watch is celebrating 40 years of community work by hundreds of thousands of volunteers. The first schemes were set up in 1982 to address burglary, and whilst they now address a wide variety of crime types, from modern slavery to cybercrime, they have expert knowledge spanning 40 years providing burglary prevention advice. They are a trusted organisation, with their research showing nearly all (90%) of Neighbourhood Watch members sometimes or usually acting on advice they receive from the charity.
The research also showed that Neighbourhood Watch members are more likely to be satisfied with their personal safety than non-members (70% vs 62%), and the charity believes this is down to the tools, resources and connections it helps local communities to access. Members are more likely to be very satisfied or satisfied with their local area than non-members (92% vs 88%).
*The NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH CRIME AND COMMUNITY SURVEY 2021 was run by Neighbourhood Watch Network between 20th October and 16th November 2021. The survey was created to better understand the impact of Neighbourhood Watch on: levels of crime victimisation; fear of crime and feelings of safety, neighbourliness, community cohesion and loneliness; and the current reach and diversity of Neighbourhood Watch. The NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH CRIME AND COMMUNITY SURVEY is supported by University College London and informed by previous research from Nottingham Trent University. It also includes questions from the What Works Centre for Wellbeing survey tool for measuring loneliness. The survey received 14,083 completed and valid responses from a balanced mix of those living in a Neighbourhood Watch area and those not living in a Neighbourhood Watch area. The data was analysed by Xavier Faux using the SPSS data analysis software. All responses were anonymous, and all responses were aggregated to avoid any attempt at identifying individuals or group of people. All percentages are of valid cases, i.e. excluding blanks and "prefer not to answer" where appropriate. The sample is not representative of the general population and may have sample bias in the results. The findings can be found here: https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/impact