ENCOURAGES COMMUNITY TOGETHERNESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME
More than two million members across the UK are coming together to celebrate Neighbourhood Watch Week from 3rd – 9th June.
The charity was founded in 1982 and is the largest voluntary movement focused on crime prevention in England and Wales. The initiative empowers neighbours to work together to build safer, vibrant and inclusive communities, helping to prevent crime and make a positive and sustainable difference.
With more than 400,000 domestic burglaries reported last year, this upsetting crime ranks within the top five most common in the UK, which is why prevention remains a big focus for Neighbourhood Watch.
John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch, said: “We encourage our community to be extra vigilant at this time of year and look out for themselves and their neighbours who may be going on holiday, opening doors and windows in warmer weather and storing high value gardening items in sheds.”
With a burglary in the UK every 106 seconds, Neighbourhood Watch corporate sponsor, ERA, has developed a vast range of hardware and smart security solutions to help deter crimes.
Smart security solutions are becoming increasingly popular, with over 2.2 million smart homes now in the UK. Whether it’s a stand-alone device, such as a video doorbell, or a completely new security system, digital security products allow you to keep an eye on your property from wherever you are, whilst also acting as strong visual deterrents.
For enhanced security, adding security cameras around the front and rear of your home will enable you to monitor the outside of your property including garden sheds, both day and night. Through motion detection technology, you will be alerted to any activity via your smartphone or tablet, prompting you to check the live camera feed and see if any action needs to be taken.
Along with smart security solutions, traditional mechanical security products, such as cylinders and nightlatches, are another crucial element of protecting your home.
A simple and affordable way to improve the security of your front door is to update your existing locks with a high security cylinder. For optimum protection, choose a 3* cylinder that has Sold Secure Diamond status and check that it has been accredited by Secured by Design’s Police Preferred Specification scheme. You can use this lock with a standard handle to give ultimate resistance to picking, drilling, bumping, snapping, and extraction.
John continues: “Since 2016, ERA has supplied thousands of homeowners with Neighbourhood Watch-endorsed products and raised awareness of how to prevent burglaries and anti-social behaviour through joint campaigns and webinars.”
For more information on ERA smart and traditional security products and to find the right security solution for you visit https://eraprotect.com/.
This year’s Neighbourhood Watch Week theme is ‘Making this a better place to live’ and focuses on celebrating volunteers and inviting more people to join the scheme. For more information visit https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/nwweek.
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Notes to Editor
Sources:
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2022
- https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/smart-homes/statistics
About Neighbourhood Watch: Neighbourhood Watch was founded in 1982 and is the largest voluntary movement focused on crime prevention in England and Wales. Over 2.3 million people belong to local schemes supported by voluntary Associations. Neighbourhood Watch Network is an independent charity (registered in England and Wales 1173349) that acts as the movement’s national umbrella organisation. Membership in Neighbourhood Watch schemes is open to all and is free, although donations may be requested by local groups. Neighbourhood Watch’s website address is ourwatch.org.uk, and the charity can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About ERA: With over 180 years of manufacturing, design and innovation experience, ERA is a leader in the development and distribution of hardware and security solutions. ERA designed and manufactured its first lock in the West Midlands in 1838, and is now owned by Tyman plc. The business moved to a world-class purpose-built 135,000 sq. ft headquarters at the prestigious i54 site in Wolverhampton in 2017, housing state-of-the-art manufacturing, R&D, product development, test, and training facilities.