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Hi all,


I'm glad someone has been caught and I hope if it's not our property recovered, that someone else's misery has been diminished.


I noticed that down my road, there's lots of Neighbourhood Watch stickers in the windows, but I am completely ignorant of the actual process. Is this something that we as residents actively have to engage in? I know I'm acting after the horse has bolted, but I would be happy to initiate something, whatever it is that needs to be done.


Knee jerk reaction perhaps; but I've fallen just a little bit out of love with an area that I have lived in for nearly 10 years.

landlover - I'm on your stretch too and have often wondered about neighbourhood watch - not sure what's involved though. I'm definitely up for joining though so would be interested in whatever you find out. Sorry that you and your family had such an awful experience but thank you for sharing - I've been much more conscious of security since you posted.

Hi Singalto, all,


Sleuthing got me nowhere..


I would be interested in coming along, but the events of last week have exhausted but thank you for the invite. I am definitely interested in starting something for Landells area though and am going to find out how to do this and will probably 'leaflet' my road. My wife actually said a few months back that she had spotted people seemingly 'casing' our road..I apologise (publicly!) for dismissing you, you were, as always, right. So if that's a lesson for us, let's just be more aware, especially given the season. We should even perhaps organise a Christmas drink...get to know you kind of thing...I've been here nearly 10 years and the number of neighbours that I know is a sad reflection of that length of time.


We had a call from the Police yesterday to confirm what you said earlier; don't quote me on this but apparently 3 men have been arrested and a number of crimes have been linked to them; I don't want to say too much as I don't actually know much, but it's a start! As well as that, there is apparently a reasonable quantity of property recovered, I don't want to raise hopes (ours especially) but it has to belong to someone...

i feel very sorry for all the burglaries that happen but it's a sad fact that if your property is vulnerable, you will be targeted.


Although there are cheap and effective crime prevention measures homeowners can take, serious ones to deter burglars including secure locked double glazed windows and properly secure, unbreakable doors do not come cheap. However they are available. I know, i fitted them to my own flat and they cost thousands. i am afraid it is the only way to truly keep people out in an urban environment plagued by burglars.


People pay an absolute fortune for their properties round ED and have tons of valuable kit in them. A one off, few thousand quid on new security windows and doors throughout a property however is rarely considered. But it's the only thing that truly works. You just need to make your house super secure.

But it's the only thing that truly works. You just need to make your house super secure.


In fact, you only have to make your house (a) more secure than those round you and, if you've really got valuables, set the 'cost' of breaking in at (roughly) slightly more than 10% of the value of the items you fear you will lose - that's the fencing value of goods - i.e. a burglar will get about 10% of the face value of anything stolen. As long as either other houses are less secure than yours, or yours is sufficiently secure to make breaking in unprofitable, then burglars will look elsewhere.


But no domestic property can be made truly secure, against a determined thief. After all, genuinely secure places, like bank vaults and bank deposit boxes are breached from timer to time, as are jewelry shops etc. - which have much higher security than domestic premises can afford, or live with and be used still as homes.

I think all the points about security here are valid, both securing your home as much as possible and the fact that no matter how secure; it will never be 100%; if someone wants to get in, they will.


What I currently feel guilty about is being a member (loose use of the word) of my community but not actively participating or contributing at all. It's even worse that is has taken something bad to happen to me to think about caring, but what can I do; I have two choices, continue to do nothing, or change a wee bit and at least be a conduit/instigator for more awareness/closeness in my immediate area. I am talking specifically about what has happened of course, but it doesn't just have to be about that per se.


I guess the theory (security beefing up taken for granted) goes that if we all know each other a little more, look out for each other a little more, manage to disturb a few of these events in our area as a result, then perpetrators may think twice (is that wishful?). And make some more friends! :)

In January East Dulwich was 9th in this list http://news.sky.com/story/1042613/revealed-the-top-20-burglary-black-spots.

Brighton had a 45% increase in burglaries in one year.

It's about time the govt introduced some real deterrent sentencing.

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> In January East Dulwich was 9th in this list

> http://news.sky.com/story/1042613/revealed-the-top

> -20-burglary-black-spots.

> Brighton had a 45% increase in burglaries in one

> year.

> It's about time the govt introduced some real

> deterrent sentencing.


I think if you were to look in to the rates of recidivism for those convicted of burglary you would probably think again on "real deterrent sentencing" being the best option. Primary crime prevention is the solution, if you make your property and subsequently your area unattractive to the potential burglar, they will go elsewhere... Admittedly this will only lead to the displacement of the problem to another area, however, if everyone were to take this fairly straightforward approach, crime rates would drop... Fact

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