As the seasons change, we will notice a change in criminal behaviour along with the change in temperature. With this in mind, it is a good time to look back over the summer and take note of the criminal trends.

This summer, we noted an increased number of break and enters in comparison to 2010. Many of these were to outbuildings on property, where the perpetrators targeted bicycles and anything else of value that could be located in these areas. Buildings that were insecure or had small, easily bypassed locking systems were primarily targeted.

With this in mind, we can make efforts to reduce this next year. First and foremost, ensure your buildings are secured. Simple knob locks and shallow mount dead bolts are easily defeated with the application of force. Deadbolt locks are ideal but they are only as strong as what they are mounted to. If your door or doorframes are made of a lighter material it is this that will yield when force is applied. If your door or frames are easily broken, it would be in your best interest to reinforce these to increase the durability of your door.

Mounting motion sensor lights is another great deterrent to criminal behavior. These can be easily mounted in positions that will catch any movement in your back yard. In turn, this will alert yourself and your neighbours to activity in your back yard. It will also serve the purpose of making the potential intruder uncomfortable, as they are now visible.

It is beneficial to increase visibility into your property, as this will give natural surveillance to the area. Some simple things can be done to achieve this during spring cleaning. Trim trees and shrubs; trees should have 2’ to 3’ clearance from the ground and shrubs should not be more than 3’ high. This reduces shadows and decreases areas that intruders can hide from view. As well, this will provide you with a clear view of your property while remaining aesthetically appealing.

Making your property secure is only one step in increasing the safety of your neighbourhood. Community members need to be vigilant in reporting suspicious behaviour to the police. We noted an increase in this type of report this year. This type of information assisted with the arrests of some of the repeat offenders in the area.

When reporting suspicious behaviour to the police, there are things to keep in mind to ensure your report captures all of the important details. You can remain anonymous when making reports of suspicious behaviour if you are afraid of being identified.

If possible, contact the police at the time the behaviour is occurring to direct them to the person of interest. This allows the police to identify suspects who can then be put under surveillance. If you are unable to contact the police at the time, take down the following information and forward it on to police when you are able:

• Date
• Time
• Location
• Specific behaviour
• Number of suspects
• Any tools or property in their possession
• Suspect description: – Sex – Age – Apparent race – Clothing – Tattoos – Vehicle with license plate info – Anything else of note

With combined police and community efforts we can reduce break and enters next summer. Thank you for all of your efforts this summer.

_Cst. Walkom can be reached at (780) 421-2603 or via email at michael.walkom@edmontonpolice.ca