Keep your homes secure, police remind residents

The police have identified three groups of home owners who are vulnerable to burglaries.

They are: flat-dwellers who share a common corridor from which arms can easily snake into homes through windows; owners of new Build-To-Order flats who leave their doors unlocked for contractors; and landlords subletting their homes.

The Singapore Police Force raised the alarm yesterday, as it launched an islandwide initiative to raise awareness among home owners to secure their flats against burglary and theft.

Specifically, it called on the public to keep valuables away from windows, lock the doors to their flats, and for landlords to keep their money out of sight from tenants.

Though the number of housebreaking and theft cases has decreased over the past three years, the police said there is still a need for vigilance.

Cases of housebreaking and theft and other related crimes - such as the possession of weapons for housebreaking - fell from 543 in 2013, to 360 in 2014 and 333 last year.

Deputy Commander of Jurong Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Julian Chee, said: "There are still cases around. We want to heighten awareness that even though the crime rate is falling, we still have to be on our guard."

Two new posters advising residents not to leave their valuables in the open and to keep doors locked during home renovation will be put up islandwide. They will complement existing posters reminding residents not to leave valuables near doors and windows that face a common corridor, and to install strong grilles, locks and surveillance cameras in their homes.

The G.U.A.R.D It initiative was launched by the Jurong Police Division during a carnival in Bukit Panjang, which has a number of new Build-To-Order flats.

More than 600 residents attended the event.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Vivian Balakrishnan told residents to be careful of what they leave near their windows and common corridors.

"We (should) use some common sense and take some precautions to look out for each other," he added.

This article was first published on Nov 13, 2016.
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