Barbadians carelessly helping criminals to steal their property
Crime Prevention Officer Inspector Stephen Griffith shows Deputy Director of the National Library Service Mary Waldron some of the dead-bolts that can be installed in the home, offering greater protection from criminals.
A CRIME Prevention Officer with over three decades in the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) is concerned that Barbadians are carelessly helping criminals to steal their property.
Inspector Stephen Griffith of the Crime Prevention Unit was at the time sharing safety techniques during a public lecture on Crime Prevention, hosted by the National Library Service in Bridgetown yesterday afternoon.
The inspector said it is generally estimated that in 95 per cent of the crimes committed, the victims actually help the criminal. He lamented that today many are caught up with the fast pace of their daily lives, their eyes are constantly glued to their smart phones and are blissfully unaware of their surroundings.
One of the areas the officer highlighted was the issue of vehicle safety, which includes theft from vehicles, theft of vehicles, and also theft of vehicle parts.
In fact, he revealed that within the last two weeks, at least four mechanics were charged for the theft of parts. “Sometimes the mechanic sells your parts. Another car comes and it wants something off your car. He hopes to put it back...” he stated.
He warned as well that leaving one's vehicle at a mechanic with scores of cars waiting to be fixed is a recipe for disaster, explaining that it is virtually impossible for a mechanic to keep track of every vehicle to be fixed while offering the best security.
As it relates to homeowners, he noted that many persons are purchasing alarm systems, which if triggered are not connected to any security personnel and would simply go unnoticed.
He also lamented that people are constructing garages without doors, and are storing items in plain sight. This, he said, is like creating a supermarket for a criminal.
He cautioned that barrels and wooden palettes can be used to reach elevated levels in the homes.
He encouraged persons to be vigilant and to know their neighbours, and urged them not to follow stereotypes of what a criminal shouldlike, musing that an attaché case being carried by a well-dressed man in a neighbourhood could contain a screwdriver and hammer to break into a home.Inspector Griffith also urged persons to look at lighting in and around their homes, and the type of vegetation planted, explaining that cactus, rose bushes and bougainvillaea can be good deterrents for a criminal.
He also urged persons to stop placing keys under the mat, but rather make copies of the key. He advised that the criminal element might be watching as persons, often times children, come home from school, lift the mat and look for this key.
The officer warned citizens to be more vigilant when they go to ATM machines, revisit the type of screws used installing burglar bars and the type of locks used in the home, not just at the front door but specifically the back door. He lamented that persons are using internal locks on their front and back-doors to cut costs, but they can be pushed aside with just a credit card. He advised that persons use deadbolts.
The Crime Prevention Officer also warned that criminals can read body language and are extremely vigilant, pointing out that women generally clutch their hand bags tightly when they are carrying money, while men, with some degree of egotism, take out large sums of money to pay for small items. (JH)
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