Use Lights in the Fight Against Crime
As the darker nights draw in and it slowly gets darker earlier each evening, officers are reminding members of the public to remain vigilant.
Burglars often use the cover of darkness to increase their activity and with that police see a rise in reports of burglary, particularly after the clocks go back.
Officers are once again asking the public to consider the use of light in the fight against crime.
Security lighting is a useful tool in warding off unwelcome visitors and can help to deter burglars and thieves.
In Cleveland, there were 1,523 residential burglaries across the Force between October 2021 and March 2022.
What type of lighting?
Just a couple of lights and plug-in timers can make a huge difference to safety and security. We recommend dusk ‘til dawn lighting, which is the type that stays on through the hours of darkness, switching off before the sun comes up. Dusk ‘til dawn lighting works best when the area being illuminated is overlooked. This type of lighting should be energy efficient, using LEDs.
Lighting inside your home
There are several devices for switching on lights in your home, including timer switches and light sensitive lamps. Timer switches are very useful and fairly cheap. They can be plugged in and used to switch on a lamp, and perhaps a radio, in a ground floor room. Some models allow for multiple on/off periods and are ideal for an upstairs room - where a light going on and off over a period of time will give the impression that your home is occupied.
You might also want to consider a ‘simulated TV’, a device that flashes different colour LEDs to give the impression someone is home and watching TV.
Some people are now also able to switch on lights via an app on a phone, before getting home from work.
Any further questions about security lighting can be directed to the crime prevention team at crime.prevention@cleveland.police.uk.
To report a crime please contact Cleveland Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.