October is National Crime Prevention Month — and beyond efforts aimed at reducing crime overall, the month also comes with a specific risk: Halloween. Here are four tips to help New England-area home and business owners stay safe this Hallow’s Eve.
It was a beautiful August day in New Haven, sunny and breezy, with walkers and cyclists out enjoying the weather. In one neighborhood a man was looking for more than good exercise — after checking to see if anyone is watching, he pedaled onto the front yard of a home and started to poke around.
According to WFSB, he was after car batteries, hot items on the scrap metal that sell at 40 cents a pound or more thanks to the precious metals inside.
Over the last 10 years, Boston has amassed an inventory of 336 unsolved murders. Now, Mayor Martin J. Walsh, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, and high-ranking members of the Boston police department are promising change: what’s in store to make the city safer?
According to the Boston Herald, one initiative is the creation of a community advisory group which will partner community leaders with police to help address crime in specific neighborhoods. Taking this idea a step further is the privately-operated StreetSafe Boston which looks for ways to assist troubled youth at risk of becoming repeat offenders in adulthood.
There’s a clear mandate here to create a more community-minded Boston, one that focuses on neighborhoods rallying together behind disenfranchised youth to take back control of their streets and help limit crime through accountability and understanding — but that’s just the beginning.
September’s college Campus Fire Safety Month is winding down and the headlines are fading from view, but that doesn’t mean you should put campus fire safety out of your mind until next September.
Since 2000, 168 people have died in fires on college campuses, in Greek housing, or in off-campus housing within three miles of the campus. The good news – if there is such a thing as good news – is that 2013-2014 academic years was the lowest year on record for fatal campus-related fires.
The mayoral race in Providence is heating up — both Republican and Democratic candidates are calling out opponents who they say haven’t done enough. Their big concern? Crime.
According to a recent WPRI.com article, the crime reduction plan forwarded by Republican Michael Solomon came under fire from Democrat Brett Smiley, who says that his opponent “has not provided any real leadership on public safety.” Solomon’s campaign manager shot back at Smiley, calling his statement “more sad, empty rhetoric from someone who hasn’t even lived in the city for ten years.”
It was a quiet June day on Dexter Street in Providence, Rhode Island when arsonist Shantey Nared approached a vacant house and set it ablaze. The home next door was also damaged as Shantey fled the scene — thanks to video surveillance, he was later caught and now faces a charge of first-degree arson, according to NBC 10 News.
For New England business and homeowners, however, this kind of daylight arson presents significant risk: how do your protect your property from the unexpected (and often random) crime of arson?
On July 25 at 7:06 a.m., police officers in Georgetown, MA, responded to a home burglar alarm system on Seale Street; upon arrival, they discovered it was a false alarm. At 9:46, another alarm went off on Baldpate Road; and again upon arrival, police found the building secure.
According to Georgetown Wicked Local’s Police Incident Log — each day, officers deal with an average of two false alarms, eating up valuable time and resources. But what’s the real cost of this unnecessary response?
When it comes to the damage done by electrical fires every year, the numbers are staggering.
Each year, U.S. fire departments respond to an estimated 25,900 home electrical fires. These fires cause an estimated 280 deaths, 1,125 injuries, and $1.1 billion in property loss.
In fact, homeowners lose more money every year as a result of electrical fires than nonelectrical fires, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. You can even lose your entire home – or worse – because of a bad electrical fire.
In 2013, Boston police responded to over 8,000 complaints of property crime, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR). This equates to over 20 incidents per day and doesn’t indicate how many of these reported crimes led to arrests. What’s more, statistics can’t account for shoplifting and other property crimes that go unreported or unnoticed.
It’s no surprise that small businesses are feeling the pinch with profit margins slimming and high-value items disappearing thanks to five-finger discounts. How can you stop the shoplift?
You’ve just moved into your dream home and you can’t believe how much work you have to do. There’s unpacking, rearranging furniture, putting up curtains, cleaning, grocery shopping – the list is endless.
It can be so overwhelming that you might forget all about ensuring your family and your new home are safe and secure. Burglars are paying attention and they’re well aware how distracted new homeowners can be right after move-in day.
Here are five tips to keep the burglars at bay and your home and your loved ones safe and sound.
