Everyone can take steps to protect their property, from neighbourhood watch schemes, CCTV cameras, hi-tech wireless alarms these all work and have helped in the fight against crime. New crime figures released state that Burglary has been on the decrease, in-fact it has more than halved in the last 10 years (source) although these figures are for England and Wales only and also only include reported incidents. In a recent summit Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that she is giving £20million to help keep this figure down and keep it down. Most of the money will be spent on giving free advice to persons that are concerned about becoming victims, helping the police in areas that are most at risk, and advice packages which will include discount cards to national DIY chains. £6 million of the money will be spent on local ‘handy-people’ to visit the elderly and those in low incomes and install home security devices.

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Concerned Lancashire Police are giving away hundreds of rape alarms to female students at a Lancashire University. Edge Hill University has been targetted for the iniative to help cut-down on alchohol related crime including rape. The female students will be given a personal rape alarm and guidance leaflets about proper drinking limits and how to cut down on excessive drinking.

Government figures have revealed that a third of all sexual assaults will take place when the victim is under the influence of alcohol. It has also been noted that sexual assaults under alchohol far outnumber ‘date-rape-drugs’. Alcohol is the preffered drug of choice for rapists claim The University of Surrey.

By issuing female students with personal protection i.e. the rape alarms and also engaging with them in learning about alchohol abuse it is hoped that the students will become more aware of the real dangers that alchohol abuse leads too. Rapists don’t need to spike a girls drink when they are already the worse-for-wear with alchohol.

A disturbing trend appears to be the fore, where victims have been robbed in their own house while asleep in their beds. This alarming rise of night time burglars, has seen the Police once more issue statements regarding people undertaking simple home security measures. Inspector Ewan Strachan, of the Elgin Police Force, said, “Preventing such crime happening in the first place is what is important … it is imperative that householders secure all windows and doors, including patio doors, before going out for the day/evening or before retiring to bed. These simple security measures will act as an effective deterrent to the would-be thief.”

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