Speaking to neighbours helps to combat crime and cure ‘home insecurities’ during winter months, research finds

New research released by Ring, a company on a mission to reduce crime in neighbourhoods, found that the average person in Britain spends 18 minutes a day worrying about the security of their home when they are not there. One in six people feels less safe in their neighbourhood today compared to two years ago, with 38% citing an increase in burglary and vandalism as the principal reason.

Of those who said they feel safer, almost half said that knowing their neighbours look out for them and their home (48%) is the main reason behind this.

Britons who communicate regularly with their neighbours are four times more likely to feel safe in their community compared to those who have no communication (45% vs 9%). However only 24% of Britons admit to speaking to their neighbours on a regular basis, significantly less often than the French (43%) and the Germans (45%).

As the winter months and longer night draw in, home security concerns have been found to be rising, with one in five people saying the longer nights cause them to become increasingly worried, four in ten stating that night time increases their worries about home security and more than half claiming they wouldn’t be comfortable answering their door after dark.

Those who feel safest combine strong neighbour relations with smart technology to overcome worries about the home, with more than a third saying that having more CCTV in their neighbourhood would make them feel reassured, while a quarter stated they would feel less worried if they knew their neighbour better.

Jamie Siminoff, Founder and Chief Inventor at Ring, commented: “With domestic burglaries on the rise and with longer nights setting in, it is more important than ever for homeowners to work together with their neighbours and local police officers to look out for and protect one another.

“Our latest study confirms the importance of presence within neighbourhoods when it comes to combatting crime. By encouraging homeowners to download and share footage from Ring devices with their neighbours and local police, homeowners can not only protect their own properties, but improve security for the entire neighbourhood. By working together, we can create safer communities”.

Roger Holden, Director at Crimestoppers, said: “We share with Ring a common aim – keeping communities safe, ensuring people protect themselves, their property and look out for their neighbours. The new study shows how important it is for us to take home security seriously and do as much as possible to prevent opportunist criminals and doorstep scammers from succeeding”.

Speaking at the launch of the Met Police’s annual Be Safe anti burglary campaign in October, Superintendent Sean Wilson, the Met lead for burglary, spoke about the need to get everyone involved and enable them to look after themselves and work with the police to prevent crime.

He said “This year’s campaign is about creating conversations at community events with our officers and through our social media channels. At these events, we will ask residents what actions they are already taking to secure their home and remind them of the additional steps they could take – often at a low cost.

“The campaign is supported by operational activity - but we know that simple crime prevention can make it more difficult for criminals and reduce the risk of burglary-related crime.”

The Met Police have unveiled an on-line interactive house as part of their anti-burglary campaign, incorporating embedded video clips, advising people on steps that they can take to keep their homes safe. New tips are being added to the interactive house each week. You can take a look at the house here: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1114881638304579586

Secured by Design (SBD) is a police-owned organisation that works on behalf of the Police Service throughout the UK to deliver a wide range of crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives.

SBD plays a significant crime prevention role in the planning process to design out crime in a wide range of building sectors. It has achieved some significant success including one million homes built to SBD standards with reductions in crime of up to 87%.

SBD have many partner organisations, ranging from the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Police Service through to local authorities, housing associations, developers and manufacturers and work closely with standards and certification bodies to ensure that their publicly available standards actually meet the needs of the police and public alike.

Products must be subjected to vigorous testing and auditing by an accredited third party organisation before being allowed to carry the SBD logo – this is the only way for companies to obtain police accreditation for security related products in the UK.

To find out more about companies and products which meet the Police Preferred Specification and how you can protect your home, businesses and belongings, please visit: www.securedbydesign.com

Ring
Ring’s mission is to reduce crime in neighbourhoods by creating a Ring of Security around homes and communities with its suite of home security products. The Ring product line enables Ring to offer affordable, proactive whole-home and neighbourhood security.

Ring’s suite of Video Doorbells and Security Cams enables residents to see, hear and speak to anyone on their property from a smartphone, tablet, or desktop, from anywhere in the world. Using the free Ring app, Ring Security Cam users can remotely activate both lighting and a 110-decibel siren, to not only scare off any unwanted visitors, but to alert their neighbours to any suspicious activity. With a Ring Product subscription in place, Ring users can download and save videos to their device and easily share with their family, community and with local police.

One Los Angeles neighbourhood in the United States saw a 55% decrease in home break-ins after Ring Video Doorbells were installed on just ten percent of homes in the neighbourhood.

Ring is an Amazon company.

The full range of Ring’s SBD accredited products can be viewed here http://www.securedbydesign.com/members/ring/

With Ring, you’re always home.

Tel: 07886338350
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Web: www.ring.com