How safe is your neighborhood?

Have you ever wondered, exactly how safe is your neighborhood?

Whether you’ve recently experienced a break-in, had new neighbors move in that you don’t know all that much about, or simply want to check that your neighborhood is exactly as safe as you think it is.

The good news is that there are several things that you can do to find out.

Watch on local crime rates:

If you live in a large neighborhood then you might not hear about crimes that are committed further away from your street or in the immediate area.

While neighbors on the same street often inform each other of crimes like attempted break-ins, burglaries and vandalism, there might be more going on that you don’t know about because you don’t speak to those particular neighbors very often.

The easiest way to find out what’s going on in your neighborhood is to check local crime rates online, where you can pull up the latest statistics from your neighborhood and find out what’s been reported. In some cases, you can consider the help of a local police officer.

Use search service:

Are you worried that your neighbors might not be who they say that they are?

Whether you’ve just had new neighbors move in or you’ve got neighbors who you are a little suspicious of, you can check out more about them using a search service.

All you need to do is enter information about them into the site like their name, telephone number, and address and it will bring up criminal records, property records, and more.

Hopefully, you won’t find anything untoward about any of your neighbors, but it can be a good way to check that you’re living around safe people.

Speak to your neighbors:

Speaking to your neighbors is important to keep in the loop and also get everybody into a habit of looking out for one another. If you talk to your neighbors regularly you will be able to tell each other about anything suspicious that you might have noticed, and the more alert the people in the neighborhood are, the easier it will be to prevent crime.

Neighborhood watch:

Does your neighborhood have a neighborhood watch scheme?

If not, it might be a good idea to consider starting one.

Neighborhood watch means that all neighbors work together to protect the neighborhood and regularly meet to discuss new ways to improve safety, along with any warnings of anything suspicious or potentially dangerous that they have seen.

It can also help to prevent crime since criminals are less likely to target neighborhoods when they know that there is an active neighborhood watch group in place.

Deterrents:

• How many deterrents be in your neighborhood when it comes to preventing crime?
• Is the area well-lit, or is it quite dark with several potential hiding spots for burglars and other criminals?
• How many homes has CCTV installed?
• Are the houses fitted with burglar alarm systems?

If you have noticed a lack of these deterrents in your neighborhood, it might be worth considering getting some. Even if you only start with your own home, you might find that other neighbors follow suit as they see what a difference it can make to safety levels.

Install cameras at the front and back of your home and fit motion sensor lighting, which can make it more difficult for criminals and thugs to find cover around your home and will make your home a more difficult target to attack.