Below are the top five crime categories in Roseville
We are fortunate to live in a relatively safe city, but there are always additional things you as a resident can do to deter crime. October is National Crime Prevention Month. Below are the top five crime categories impacting residents in Roseville, with suggestions for reducing crimes in each category:
1) Burglary or theft from a vehicle.
This is relatively easy to reduce. A car thief typically won’t waste time or risk being caught breaking into your vehicle unless there is something of value to steal. Don’t leave any items in your vehicle where they can be easily seen by a potential thief. If something is too big or heavy to remove, lock it in your trunk. Always set the vehicle alarm if you have one.
When parking away from home, choose to park in a well-lit area, or an area with lots of people walking by, as thieves don’t like company.
2) Petty Theft
The top item in this category is theft of bicycles. If you leave a bicycle unattended, lock it safely to a bike rack. If your kids ride their bikes to a park, tell them to leave the bikes somewhere they can always see them. When home, make sure their bikes are safely stored in your garage or shed and not left unsecure on your lawn or porch.
The next item in this category is the theft of wallets , phones, or purses from shopping carts. Don’t leave any of these items unattended in your cart. Thieves will quickly take any opportunity to steal your valuables. They will not only take your cash and phone but can also run up charges on credit cards they steal before you cancel them. Always carry your purse, and keep your phone or wallet on your person, preferably in an inside pocket which is more difficult for a thief to get to.
Next in this category is package theft. A study by insurers, Geico, suggests that thieves are likely to drive through neighborhoods looking for packages that have been left at a front door for some time, rather than follow delivery trucks as they drop packages. This is because thieves want to minimize the risk of being caught removing your package just as you open your front door to take it in. If packages remain outside for some time, it’s more likely that nobody is home therefore they are less likely to get caught.
Create a space on your porch that enables delivery drivers to keep your package from being seen from the street. If that’s not possible, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to look out for any packages and take them in. Most major delivery companies will now give you a time window within the day that they anticipate delivering your package. If you have a video doorbell device and are away from home, you can see when it arrives and be more precise when asking friends to help.
3) Motor Vehicle Theft
According to FBI nationwide data, vehicle thefts dropped 50% after the introduction of keyless ignitions, however numbers have risen again because some drivers are leaving their key fobs in their vehicles. Suggestions include:
- Take your key fob or key every time you leave your vehicle.
- Don’t leave a key or key fob hidden on the outside of your vehicle. Thieves know where to look for them.
- Turn off and lock your vehicle if you leave it, even if only for a few seconds. Vehicles can still be stolen even without your fob. They just can’t be restarted.
- Lock and set your car alarm.
- If you don’t have an alarm, make it difficult for a thief to steal your vehicle by fitting a steering lock or some other electronic device that disables your ignition or even a fake alarm that’s highly visible. Experienced thieves may be able to get around these devices but will more often look for another vehicle that’s not so well protected.
- Garage your vehicle wherever possible.
4) Vandalism of vehicles
Common examples are:
- Theft of catalytic converters. Recent changes to California Statutes should reduce the incentive for this kind of theft, but you can also protect your vehicle’s converter by having it etched with your VIN number.
- Vandalism for the sake of vandalizing. Keying your car doors or tearing off a door mirror are unfortunately frequent examples.
Vandalism like this can also be reduced by parking in well-lit areas and eliminated by putting your vehicle in your garage.
5) Residential Burglary
The best way to avoid burglary in and around your home is to appear well protected and present a low return on investment for any burglar. When looking for a house to burglarize, burglars will usually stake out homes in a more affluent neighborhood, and watch things such as:
- Are there lawnmowers, bikes, or other valuables in view? Keep them in your home or garage with the door locked.
- Are you away from home? Burglars will typically not take the risk of breaking into an occupied home. There are several ways to make it look like you are at home even when gone, such as putting timers on digital devices, like TVs or radios and on lights in your home.
- Install an alarm. If you cannot afford an alarm or don’t want one for other reasons, give the appearance your home is alarmed using signs or window stickers.
- Dogs usually bark when someone is around your house. If you don’t want a dog, buy a sensor that sounds like a dog barking when anyone makes noise approaching your property. You can also put a “Beware of dog” sign on your property.
- Keep your front lawn mowed. Long grass suggests that you are away from home.
- The most brazen of burglars may still try to kick in your front door. Have a solid core front door with a single-sided deadbolt fitted.
If you follow the above advice in all 5 categories, you will be helping to make Roseville a safer place to live.