“There are many small things you can do to maintain the security of your home and make sure you don’t become the victim of any assault.”
In our monitoring of media coverage about retirement villages across the country we have noticed a couple of recent reports of break-ins and assaults in villages.
In February this year, there were reports of assaults in both Bendigo and Albury.
This week we heard of a break-in and assault in Perth where a 74-year-old woman called Pat allegedly arrived home about 11am to find a 30-year-old woman in the backyard of her independent living unit in Edgewater.
Two women made a ‘citizen’s arrest’
The younger woman assaulted Pat (who is deaf) before running away. She then allegedly attempted to steal a truck, assaulting the 26-year-old male driver, before being wrestled to the ground by two women who happened to be passing by. They made a ‘citizen’s arrest’. Meanwhile Pat and the male driver were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The 30-year-old woman has been charged with aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm, two counts of aggravated burglary, two counts of stealing, one count of robbery and one count of obstructing a public officer.
While a few reports do not constitute a worrying trend, it does prompt us to think about home security and is a reminder to village residents to review home security, be vigilant about locking doors and reporting any questionable strangers they see on the premises.
Good security means working together
As a community, we need to be working towards ways of reducing these incidents as much as possible. Most residents of retirement villages feel safe and secure knowing their home has an emergency call button and their village usually has an on-site 24-hour emergency call system so if incidents do happen, there is help at hand.
But because living in a retirement village is generally safer and more secure than other places, it might be easy to get complacent.
When you look at the incident with Pat in Perth, if she had been living on her own in her own home, the outcome may not have been as positive. So there are clear security benefits of retirement villages, but ensuring good safety and security is always easier when people work together and help one another too.
There are many small things you can do to maintain the security of your home and make sure you don’t become the victim of any assault.
Here are our tips for keeping your home secure.
1. Lock up
Even if you are going out for a short time, lock-up your house and windows. Locksmiths can provide advice on appropriate door and window locks, and key all the windows to a single key. Also, ask your electricity supplier about locks for your power supply to prevent tampering, and keep your car locked. Police in Bundaberg, Queensland, for instance, have reported a case of a garage door opener stolen from a car, later used to burgle the owner’s property.
2. Don’t provide cover for burglars
Deter theives from targeting your house by ensuring a clear line of sight from the street. Cut back trees and bushes that obscure your front door, look into installing movement sensor lights and report broken street lights straight away. Police also suggest making sure your house number is visible for the fastest response if you need to call for help.
3. Check and upgrade your defences
A high number of victims of burglary say a door or window had been damaged or tampered with in attempted break-ins, so you can strengthen these defences. A solid door with a deadlock is a good idea and a lockable security screen can help keep burglars out.
4. Assess potential targets
Garages and garden sheds are often targets for burglars who can then use your tools or ladders to gain access to the main house (police even report wheelie bins used to smash windows). An automatic light, for instance, fitted to the shed or garage can be a useful deterrent, along with keyed locks.
5. Safeguard your keys
It’s best to keep your keys somewhere safe in the house but also don’t lend your keys to tradespeople or other people because keys are easily copied and can provide burglars with fast access to your belongings. Be sure your keys are only ever given to people you really trust.
7. Store valuables in a safe
Money and jewellery are most often stolen in break-ins so install a small safe in your home to protect those items.
8. Make friends with your neighbours
If you are in a retirement village, your neighbours will usually look out for you and help you should anything happen. Neighbours can report suspicious activity at your home and help when you’re away – and you can return the favour.
