100 Home Burglarised by a 14-Year-Old Boy

May16
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

Police in Nashville, Tennessee (US), hope the burglary rate in the city will go down after arresting the person responsible for over 100 break-ins over the past two years.

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with these break-ins. According to police, the unidentified teen – his name wasn’t released because he’s a minor – kicked in doors and stole video games, flat screen TVs and anything else he could find, according to WSMV reported. Then he’d jump on his go-kart and fly through back alleyways to the next house.

Police dubbed him the “Go-Kart Bandit” when they learned of his mini getaway vehicle. He’s been arrested several times before, including twice for burglary.

“He’s tested the waters and tested our resources, definitely. He was an innovative individual,” said Metro Police Lt. Horace Temple.

The child didn’t have a mentor or any kind of guidance in his life, and it kind of led to the life of crime on the streets. We absolutely expect our burglaries to dramatically decrease in these neighborhoods,” Temple added.

According to the New York Daily News, the teen has been charged with aggravated burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools and loitering during school hours.

Everyone is concerned with keeping their home safe and securing their valuable possessions but homeowners need to be extra vigilant when it comes to security.

To deter a burglary, have an appropriate burglar alarm installed, be sure to arm it when you leave the home, even for a moment, close and lock all doors and windows and be sure you have high quality deadbolt locks installed on all exterior doors. A key safe is also a great solution.

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The Power of Postcards

May14
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

Why use a postcard? Many people think that postcards are just something that gets sent to friends when they go on vacation.  Although that is true, one can see there are a number of other reasons.

Postcards can serve as advertising functions. They are small, fast, cheap, and effective. A postcard has instant visibility because it’s out there to be seen and read immediately. No envelope to hide your real message.

Most people find postcards irresistible, and will look them over even if they eventually throw them away. Because the postcard requires so little effort, it is more likely to generate action: it is read and acted upon immediately, rather than being shelved along with the other mail for possible later action.

The postcard is much more cost-effective than other marketing tools. A postcard-sized display ad in a metropolitan daily newspaper will normally cost several times as much as a postcard mailing. And the postcard, handled properly, will provide a much greater return on investment, because it is more precisely targeted, and not wasted on non-prospects like the majority of a newspaper’s readers.

Moreover, postcards can be a means to simply say “Hi.” People often send postcards from vacation or use local postcards as greeting cards.  Also, postcards can be used to show someone how nice of a time you are having on your vacation. As tourism became a bigger industry, postcards became more popular as a way to show where you have been and where you are going.

There can be no doubt about importance and influence of technology on our life, still one of the most powerful forms of communication that we see very little of today is the letter or post card that is dropped in the  down the street.

Posted in Post Boxes - Tagged

Post Box Makes Way for the Online Mail Box

May11
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

One of the important challenges to postal and courier services, both public and private, is competition from other communications services such as facsimile, electronic-mail, and data networks, particularly in the business-to-business market segment.

Over the last decade, one has seen the common post box making way for the online mail box. There has been a considerable decrease in the usage of these red boxes as well as writing or circulation of postal letters. Along with digitalised lifestyle, the public has now switched on to cell phones as a major mode for communication. Nowadays, communication is becoming easier, simpler, cheaper and faster.

There was a time when our grandparents walked in to a post office to buy a postal letter along with stamp, fill it up carefully and post it. Technology has been one of the main reasons why we are losing out on our social relationships.

Letter volumes worldwide suffered important loss of market share owing to diversion to electronic media and growing competition from other service providers. The decline reflects the fact that the total communications market is growing at a faster rate than the postal market.

The question is when to send an email or when to write a letter. Just like most personal decisions, the choice is up to the sender in regards to sending an email or letter.

A trip to the post box in my adolescent days certainly had a different feel than it does today. I used to rush to the mail box to pull out letters from my friends. Not anymore. Now, I look forward to looking in the mail box for small parcels that I purchase online.

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Residential Access in Case of Emergency

May09
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

Residents with medical conditions from a US city can now be better protected in the event of an emergency.

The Fort Myers Fire Department (Florida) has launched a new program for such residents who may not be able to open their own doors during a medical emergency, according to a city press release.

The Fire Department has established the Residential Knox Box Program which is a high security key safe that only Fort Myers Firefighters and Paramedics can access. With this box in place, emergency responders can respond quickly, without forcing entry. They simply remove the entrance key stored inside, provide medical assistance and re-lock the door when they leave.

The Residential Knox Box is ideal for individuals with a history of medical problems, recuperating from a hospital stay, living alone or using an electronic calling or medical alert service.

The key safes cost about $170 each, but the fire department has a few loaner boxes available for those with immediate needs. Those interested must apply, and their qualifications will be determined by fire department personnel.

A key safe offers a discrete way of providing property access without compromising security. A master key safe comes in different sizes to accommodate large or multiple keys.

Most of them are suitable for outdoor use, fitted to a wall or portable – fixed by padlock shackle, sometimes including night light; designed to store 1, 2, 4, 7, 10+ keys or 24 key hooks.

Key safes are also efficient for the property maintenance. “We have found a key safe useful where various tradesmen enter our properties to undertake necessary repairs and inspections,” said a property maintenance manager.

Posted in Key Safes - Tagged

Simon Cowell’s London Home Burglarized

May08
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

A woman has been charged with aggravated burglary at the London home of Simon Cowell.

Prosecutors pronounced Cowell was watching television in a bedroom of his London palace when he heard a shrill crash entrance from his lavatory and detected Leanne Zaloumis inside with a brick.

The intruder, of Catford, south-east London, is believed to have wandered around the pop mogul’s West London home, even lying on his bed. Nothing is believed to have been taken from the property.

‘It was an absolutely terrifying experience. Seeing this woman standing there in my house was like something out of a horror movie.

According to Daily Mail, he told a friend: ‘It was frightening but I’m going to take it as a warning. In some ways I’ve been lucky. You have to look on the positive side because it could have been a whole lot worse. I now know that I need to improve my security. She could have had a gun.’

The £9million property was once described by Cowell as ‘safe as the Bank of England’.

‘Police were called at approximately 22:35 on Saturday to reports of a disturbance. Officers attended the address and found a woman had forced entry to the premises. She was arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to a West London police station,’ said a Scotland Yard spokesman.

Locks and keys protect people’s life and properties against infringements by others. These locks control physical access to homes, offices, buildings, and vehicles. Even though everyone is concerned with keeping their home safe and securing their valuable possessions, not as many people take care of their key safety. Keep your key safe code secure and your keys in the safe lock cabinet!

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The Lowest Burglary Rates in the UK

May04
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

If you are looking to buy property in the UK, you will no doubt be interested to hear which areas have the lowest crime rates. It turns out that the safest place to live in the UK is Eastbourne.

A new national survey has revealed that the city has among the lowest burglary rates in the UK. The survey, compiled using data from leading insurance companies, shows that the BN23 postcode area has the joint lowest incidence of burglary in the country.

Burglary statistics in Eastbourne in 2006 were the worst in Sussex. But since 2007, burglary in the whole of Eastbourne fell by 39%, far in excess of a targeted drop of 15%. The drop in burglary follows a major focus by Sussex Police and the Community Safety Partnership to catch and convict burglars locally.

“This latest survey confirms once again that our partnership with Sussex Police is making a real difference to people’s quality of life in Eastbourne,” said Councillor Margaret Bannister. “Eastbourne’s total crime rate has also dropped by a staggering 18% thanks to the tireless efforts of the police, the partnership and local residents. However, there is always more work to be done to reduce even further the rate of burglary…,” she added.

In London, a recent report on the safest areas in which to live suggests that those heading for the capital would do well to consider the boroughs of Kensington, Chelsea and Wandsworth. Although Chelsea and Kensington both offer low levels of criminal damage, there is a slightly greater chance of suffering a burglary in those areas.

Choose home safes to store and protect your valuables items.

Posted in Safes - Tagged

UK Burglary Statistics

May02
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

Did you know that in 57% of burglary cases someone is at home while the burglary is commited?

According to TescoCompare, there are 781,866 burglaries each year, one every 40 seconds in England and Wales in the 12 month period from December 2010 to November 2011.

Research has shown that in the UK, families with children are likely victims and in 56% of these cases, there is someone at home at the time of the crime and, 44% of these cases happen in broad day light. The Burglary Infographic by Tesco Compare also reveals the majority of British burglars use doors to break into homes.

The 5 most burgled areas are London Metropolitan (93,347), West Yorkshire (36,074), Manchester (33,467), West Midlands (32,792) and Thames Valley (20,804).

You are six time more likely to be burgled without both window locks and double locks on outside doors. More over, lone parent households are more than twice more likely to be victims of burglary than homes with two adults and children and almost 3 times more likely than households without children.

The top 5 most stolen items are money with 17%, TV sets with 15 per cent, digital cameras (13%), jewellery (11%), and mobile phones (6%).

Protecting your home and family from criminal intrusion should be high on your list of priorities. But keeping your place secure takes a little planning and attention.

If you have a home safe, then keeping your money at home would be hassle-free. You wouldn’t have to worry about theft. You even wouldn’t have to worry about losing your money in case of a flood, or in case of a fire. A fire-proof, water-proof home safe will keep it completely protected.

Determining which type of home safes is best for you, depends on your needs.

Posted in Safes - Tagged

Mexican Gang on Burglary Spree across the UK

Apr30
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

Six Mexican holidaymakers went on a burglary spree across the UK after they ran out of money on a tour of Premier League football stadiums, as part of their dream to watch their footballing heroes, including Manchester United’s Mexican striker Javier Hernandez.

The gang targeted homes in West Lancashire and were linked to burglaries in Strathclyde in Scotland and Cumbria in just six days. They smashed open the front doors of properties and searched bedrooms for jewellery, cash and electrical equipment. The homes they raided included a house in Newfield Drive, Kingstown, where they stole goods and caused damage costing around £14,700.

The group had initially visited the country on tourist visas in October 2011. All six will be deported after serving their sentences.

“I would have recommended deportation because in my view your continued presence in this country – whose hospitality you have abused – is contrary to the public interest,” said Judge Anthony Russell QC.

Judge Russell told the defendants: “You were all here on holiday from Mexico and chose to commit these serious crimes. They are serious because they involved entering people’s homes, searching them and stealing valuable items. There was a significant degree of planning.”

Home security safes are for everyone. Everyone has possessions they would rather not lose, whether that be jewelry, share certificates or money.

A hidden wall safe is great because it is concealed and you can install it in a closet behind clothes or even behind mirrors. Although the classic image of hiding a home safe behind a painting is valid, there are perhaps other less obvious places to conceal them.  Some companies even offer wall safes that are concealed as electrical power points.

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Unsolicited Mail

Apr27
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

Many households will receive a considerable amount of unwanted or junk mail during the course of the year. A lot of direct mail is poorly targeted and irrelevant and quite often is thrown straight in the bin. Unsolicited junk mail is both a nuisance and a waste of paper. In fact, 98 percent of all paper-based advertising reaches landfills without ever being acted upon by the consumer.

How many different pizza delivery menus do you really need? Did you know that you could stop those pesky advertisements from appearing constantly in your mailbox? If you are tired of unwanted catalogues, credit card offers and solicitations, this is how to stop getting junk mail.

Contact the companies sending you the junk mail and tell them to stop. Call, email or write to the companies and ask to be removed from their mailing lists. This can be a tedious task, but is usually very effective. Any organisation that receives written indication that you wish to be removed from their mailing list is legally obliged to stop sending you marketing materials within a reasonable time. This applies to companies that you already deal with, such as banks, credit card companies and utility providers where you may wish to request that they do not send you personally addressed marketing materials for their other services.

If catalogs are your main problem, you can search online for services that specifically help you to stop getting junk mail from catalog companies. Many times these services will allow you to choose which catalogs you no longer want to receive or replace them with paperless versions.

‘No Junk Mail’ or ‘Addressed Mail Only’ stickers on your mail box can also work. If you’re not interested in free newspapers on your post box, get a sticker that reads ‘No Free Newspapers’.

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Burglaries and Social Networking sites

Apr25
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Guillaume

Do you constantly update your status on Facebook, Twitter, and other such social networking websites? Do you tell your online contacts where you go?  If you do, you are unintentionally extending an open invitation to burglars.

Police are warning that criminals are using social networkinginternet sites to plan burglaries. Officers warn that messages indicating that homes may be empty over holidays can leave householders vulnerable to crime. For example, one family have blamed Facebook for a break-in which cost them more than £30,000.
Acording to The Telegraph, “While fans of social media like to post broadcast every move, police said it can have a highly detrimental effect as it leaves their homes at the mercy of criminals.

And now insurers are warning they face higher insurance premiums if they were the victims of crime having publicised being away.”

Studies show that an alarmingly large number of burglars use social networking websites to identify potential properties for burglary. An insurance company carried out a survey of 50 former burglars, which revealed that monitoring social networking sites is now big business for criminals.

“Using Facebook or Twitter to boast about a big night out or a fortnight in Barbados may impress friends and colleagues, but it’s enough to give the savvy burglar all they need to know,” said Pete Markey,  spokesman for the insurance company More Than.

Gone from home most of the time? It’s always better being safe than sorry. Don’t leave your spare key in traditional places like mail boxes, doormats, under or inside the pots when you’re away. Key safes have been providing secure storage and reliable safe access to homes and business for many years.

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