Steps you can take to have a safe and crime-free holiday

By Sgt. Andrew Pidcock, December 2018

My favourite time of the year is coming up!  The Holiday Season is a time to share with loved ones.  Many of you will be staying home to celebrate and others will be travelling to visit loved ones near and far.  Many will be busy shopping for gifts right up to the last minute!  

Unfortunately this can also be a busy time of year for those who may be looking at taking advantage of these traditions.  

Here are some tips to follow to ensure a safe and enjoyable time this Holiday Season.  

For those going away for the holidays:

• Advise a trusted neighbour or friend of plans and the times you will be away
• Make arrangements for your driveway and walkway to be cleared.  If a car is parked in the driveway, it should be cleared of snow
• Ask a neighbour to park their vehicle in your driveway to give the appearance someone is home
• Discontinue mail and paper delivery while you are away
• Ensure mail and packages are removed from the front of the residence daily.
• Provide a trusted neighbour or friend with access to the house to check on the residence and be a point of contact while away
• Invest in timers to ensure that some exterior or interior lighting is on, to give the impression people are at home.
• Secure or remove valuables from your home

Staying at home for the holidays:

With the increase of online shopping, there are some delivery safety tips to consider:

Ensuring someone is at home at time of delivery is the best option.

If not, consider the following:

• Request a delivery time that suits your schedule
• Deliver to your place of work if possible
• Redirect to a trusted neighbour or friend who can be home during the time of delivery
• Request a signature confirmation
• Use a home monitoring system. Many of todays systems allow for notification to wireless devices. (i.e camera capturing front entrance to home)

Shopping during the holiday season

• When shopping, always lock your vehicle
• Do not leave any valuables (cell phones, laptop, purses and loose change) visible from the outside.  This should include visible garage door openers which could allow access to your garage and residence
• Keep track of debit and credit cards.  Always protect your PIN number
• If possible, do not leave shopping bags in plain view, place them in the trunk
• Do not leave purses unattended in shopping carts.  It only takes a few seconds for an experienced thief to remove credit cards or wallet from a purse 
• Only carry the methods of payment you intend on using
• Do not carry large sums of currency, but if you do, try not to flash your cash

Please remember that during the holiday season children are at play. That means driving with extra vigilance and attentiveness during your travels, especially when driving on City streets and busy mall parking lots. And last of all, for your safety and that of all other road users, please don’t drink and drive.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season!