Housing Community Safety

5. Our community

There is a lot we can do outside our home and family to prevent crime. We can take action by getting together with other people and working in partnership with the police to reduce crime in our borough.

We can help by simply being alert and observant when out and about in our neighbourhoods - or we could apply to join the local Neighbourhood Watch or Special Constabulary. Anyone can play some part, however great or small.

Roads, footpaths and subways

You can help to maintain a safer environment by reporting to the authorities if streets, footpaths and subways are not well lit.

Building design

Developers and local authorities should demand that new developments like housing estates, shopping precincts and car parks are designed to minimise the opportunities for criminals, and to create attractive and welcoming environments.

Schools

Arson and vandalism cost schools dearly - between 5% and 10% of some education authorities' maintenance budgets are spent repairing vandalism damage. The money could be spent elsewhere by reducing vandalism through good design, sensible security measures and better management practices.

Ask what your children's school is doing to prevent vandalism and the risk of arson.

Home insurance

Does your insurance company offer discounts on home insurance if you are a member of Neighbourhood Watch? If not, try to find an insurance company who does.

Mobile telephones

Every mobile telephone has a unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)* number - Dial *#06# to attain your individual number and make a note of this, so if in the event it is stolen you can give this to the police to help recover the handset, also to your service provider to stop the handset being used by anyone else.

* The IMEI number is used by the Global System for Mobile network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used to stop a stolen phone from accessing the network. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call his or her network provider and instruct them to 'ban' the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless, regardless of whether the phone's SIM is changed

Contact

Stephen Clarke

Divisional Director of Housing Services

Roycraft House

15 Linton Road

Barking

IG11 8HE

Tel: 020 8227 3738

Fax: 020 8227 5730

Textphone: 020 8227 5755

Email: stephen.clarke@lbbd.gov.uk|