What You Can Do to Make Your Community Safer

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Crime is always a concern for communities looking for a stable environment, but hard economic times raise the likelihood of certain types of crimes being committed. The thought of increased criminal activity in your neighborhood can be frightening, but no neighborhood is helpless. There are a lot of actions that individuals and communities can take to increase safety and reduce the impact of potential criminals in the area. Whether it’s locking doors or creating a neighborhood watch program, good people have the power to prevent and stop crime.

The best thing a neighborhood can do to keep safe is for everybody to know each other and communicate. People who are friendly with their neighbors care more about what happens to them and will go out of their way to help if problems arise. When neighbors know who is on vacation and what the regular schedule of a household, they will be able to pick up signs of intruders easily. Instead of storing spare keys in a fake rock or under the door mat, give a key to a trusted neighbor. This will strengthen trust and make your neighbors more concerned about your welfare.

The National Crime Prevention Council recommends many different programs communities can adopt to make your neighborhood safer. Forming a neighborhood watch group is the most popular option for small neighborhoods. This program simply encourages neighbors to look out for and report suspicious activity to the police. Watch groups can also partner up with local media so that the community as a whole is knowledgeable about local crime trends and safety tips. The local news can advertise rewards for tips involving recent and unsolved crimes. These programs will encourage community involvement and lead to a safer environment overall.

There are a lot of things individual families can do to prevent crime as well. An automatic lighting system will give potential thieves the impression you are home when you are really away. The way your home is lit is also important. Make sure that lights point to areas where an intruder could hide: stairwells, alleys, entry ways and between landscaping features. One thing you can do is install some security camera systems around your house as well. Teaching your children proper safety is also important. Make sure they know emergency and family phone numbers. Create at least one safety house in the neighborhood they can go to if they get in trouble. Most importantly, get to know the friends of your child and their parents. They can be great allies in your pursuit to prevent crime.

About Author: Annabelle is currently a loving and caring mother of two children. She lives outside of Milwaukee, WI and loves cheering for the Bucks and Badgers. She is a blog enthusiast and loves writing, if she is not writing she is cleaning up after her two lovely angels.