Crime Prevention Tips

Crime Prevention Tips

The Philippine National Police is committed to ensuring public safety and
reducing the fear and the incidence of crime in the community. But there are
many things each and every community member can do to reduce his or her
chances of becoming a victim or prevent the incidence of crime from
happening. Below are crime prevention tips for your home, your business,
yourself and your family. We urge you to familiarize yourself with the
information contained in this section and to make crime prevention,
awareness and education a part of your everyday life.
Crime Prevention Tips
1. Get to know your neighbors and all those residing in your street. They
will be your partners in watching the activities in your block.
2. Organize a Street Watch composed of neighbors as members. Be
concerned and cooperate in watching activities on the block and
reporting unusual or suspicious behavior to the police and the Street
Watch Officer.
3. Exchange names, home and work telephone numbers among members.
Prepare diagram of the block or neighborhood where you belong for
easy identification of households in case an emergency or crime incident
occurs. The diagram should contain the house number, telephone
numbers and occupants' names. The emergency and police department
telephone numbers should be included in the diagram.
4. Look after you neighbors house when he is away and ask him to look
after yours. This includes collecting your mail, newspapers and other
deliveries which would indicate at a glance that no one is home.
5. Attend meetings called by your Street Watch Officer. Find out about the
crime situation in your area and what you can do about them. Share
information and experiences with your neighbors.
6. Get to know your police chief and members of the police station in your
area. Write down the stations emergency hotline number in a place you
can easily see in case you will need police advise or assistance. Use your
police force they are ready, willing and able to keep you, your family
and your neighborhood safe and sound.
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Reporting a Crime
Emergency Call
An emergency call is defined as a situation where a persons life or property is
in danger or threatened. In-progress calls are where crimes are being
committed at the time of your report.
Examples of Emergency Calls
1. Accidents with injuries
2. Attempted suicides
3. Rescue calls
4. Ambulance calls
5. Persons injured or bleeding
6. All fire calls
7. Strangers forcibly entering a house
8. Strangers carrying household articles, appliances from neighbors house
9. Someone trying to gain entrance to your home
10.Group of persons with weapons preparing to fight
11.Automobiles stopping to pick up a person walking along the street and
it looks that the person doesnt want to go, especially young children.
12.Shootings
13.Stabbings
14.Armed robberies
15.Rape

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Non-Emergency Call
A non-emergency call is a situation where a persons life and property is not
in immediate danger. Included under this definition are crimes against
property, crimes against persons where the victim is not injured and offenders
are not at or near the scene. However, a police officer is needed to respond,
investigate and take a report.
Examples of Non-Emergency Calls
1. Smashed doors or windows in unoccupied homes or stores
2. Abandoned car on the street.
3. Persons loitering near school.
4. Information and rumors of impending crimes.
5. Persistent anonymous calls.
6. Suspicious looking persons following your moves while shopping or on
your way home.
7. Late discovery of crimes against persons or property.
Information the emergency operator will want to know:
1. A description of the emergency you are reporting. (What did you
observe?)
2. The address or location of the emergency you are reporting.
3. Your name, address and telephone number.
4. Number of persons involved.
5. Descriptions of the persons involved.
6. Direction taken by the escaping suspects.
7. Is suspect in a vehicle or on foot?
8. Plate number and description of vehicle.
9. Other details and circumstances.
Keeping the family Safe
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1. Make sure you and members of your family know the whereabouts of
everyone for the day. Place a whereabouts board in the kitchen or
family room where family members can post their schedules or
destinations for the day.
2. Instruct all family members and household help not to entertain
strangers at the gate or on the phone. Children should be especially
trained not to converse with strangers on the phone. Transactions, if any,
should be done outside the gate. This will prevent closer observation of
your premises or the household layout.
3. Teach your family and household helps to verify the identity of phone
callers before identifying themselves.
4. Never give out information on the whereabouts of family members to
just anyone on the phone. Friends or relatives should be politely asked
to call again so they can personally talk to the person they are looking
for. Should the unknown caller insist on asking to speak to each and
every family member, ask for his name and politely say the message will
be relayed and that he should call back again. Call the police for
assistance if you repeatedly receive anonymous phone calls.
5. Instruct family members and your house help that designated family
member must be contacted in an emergency or if there are dubious
characters at your door or on your phone. List the important phone
numbers in the front or back page of your directory for easy access.
6. Be aware of phone swindlers who call in and report that one family
member has been in an accident and is asking for the family member or
household help to bring cash or other valuable to a certain place. Verify
with another family member before acting on this.

7. Verify the identity of callers at your gate before opening the door. Use
peepholes provided on gates and doors for this purpose. Should the
stranger be a repairman, electrician or the like, verify his identity by
calling the service office.
8. Advise your children to refrain from playing/loitering on streets
outside your residence where they are highly vulnerable to abduction.
Advice your children never to leave home without telling you of their
destination and expected time of arrival.

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Keeping the Children Safe

1. Do a background check of anyone you intend to employ i.e. baby-sitter,
gardener, domestic helper, driver or security guard. It is possible that
the kidnappers would be utilizing such persons to infiltrate your
residence to acquire vital information on household valuable, routines,
layout and patterns.
2. Teach your children not to talk to strangers or accept anything from
strangers, especially in school. Should they be approached, tell them to
report the incident to school authorities.
3. Ask your childrens school not to give out any information regarding
your children to anybody. Insist that strict guidelines be followed
regarding persons authorized to pick-up your children. Other than
those duly authorized by you, your children should not be allowed to
leave with any other person without prior authorization from you. For
security, children should be asked to talk to the parent authorizing their
release. This will help ensure protection against kidnappers who call
and claim to be the childs parents.
Crime Prevention Starts With You and Your Family
More often than not, crimes occur because we open ourselves and our families
to criminal opportunities. Talking to strangers, absence of security procedures
for anonymous callers, taking for granted ones safety outside the home, etc.
make us easy prey to criminals. In the fight against crime, knowing that the
worst can happen makes you less prone to be a victim and more confident of
avoiding disasters.
Protecting yourself, your family and your home is a matter of responsibility
that cannot be taken on by anyone else. You can make the difference.

Securing your Home and your Belongings

There are three things you can do to help reduce burglary:
1. Make your home burglar-proof.

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2. Mark your belongings that burglars are most likely to steal.

3. Be alert to report suspicious persons and unusual activities to the police
before a crime may occur.
What can you do?
1. Ensure all doors and windows have locks in working condition. Keep
only that is used to enter the house open, all other entry points to your
household should be securely locked to prevent unnoticed entry into
your home.
2. Make it a habit to check that all doors and windows are locked at night
before going to sleep. The dark of night is a most ready camouflage for
robbers and other criminals.
3. Outside your home: Prune lower tree limbs dont provide the thief
with a natural ladder into second floor windows. Keep the view to your
house open criminals love to hide behind tall fences or overgrown
bushes while breaking into your home.
4. Keeps porches, yards, and all entrances to your house and garage well
lighted. Leave lights on inside your house when you go out for the
evening.
5. Keep a record of the important information (especially make, model
number, serial number) of all household facilities and equipment, such
as TV, radio, video cassette recorder, refrigerator, VCR, washing
machine. Have an inventory of your jewelry and other precious items
and documents like birth, baptismal and marriage certificates.
6. Store cash and other valuable in the bank. Hiding them inside locked
drawers does not guarantee that they will be safe from the knowing eyes
and practiced moves of robbers.
7. Bring in all outdoor equipment (bicycles, garden hose, mower, etc.) at
night. Leaving these valuables out in the garden or street is an open
invitation to robbers and thieves.
8. Protect your house from prying eyes by using curtains or drapes.
9. Provide family members with their own keys to the house. This is safer
than leaving the key in a secret place, one that can be discovered by
any person who takes the time to watch your movements when you
leave your home and come back at night.
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10.If you and your family are going on a vacation, ask a neighbor to watch
your home, or ask a relative to stay in your home while you are away.
An empty house is a prime target for criminal elements.
If you are under threat
If there are suspicious sounds or shadows in your home, try to contract the
police quietly so as not to let the intruders know that you are aware of their
presence. Most robbers are after the property inside your home, and are more
prone to working swiftly and quietly to avoid any physical or violent
encounters.
If you awake to the sound of an intruder, you have several options:
1. Lie quietly to avoid attracting attention to yourself, hoping that they will
leave you undisturbed.
2. You may choose to open lights and make noise by moving around
thereby warning them that you are awake, and scaring them into
leaving your home. Even if you are alone in the house, you may speak
loudly to an imaginary companion.
3. If you see signs of a break-in or suspicious persons inside your home, do
not attempt to go in as the robbers may still be inside. Go to your nearest
neighbor and call the police for immediate assistance.
4. Remain calm and do not panic. Although a robber would prefer to avoid
confrontation, they are easily agitated and more prone to uncalled for
abuse or violence.
5. Try to talk it out with the robbers. If you are up to it. This will delay
them, and allow for alternative action on your part, if the situation
allows.
6. Note all peculiarities and mannerisms of the robbers, if you come faceto-face with them. Tattoo marks, physical defects, moles and speech
mannerisms will help in giving the police a more solid description of
the robbers.
Safety Tips on the Streets
1. Day or night, do not walk in dark streets, alleys and unsafe shortcuts.
2. Stay away from dark isolated places or vacant lots at night. These areas
are hangouts of criminals. Do not take chances.
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3. Do not walk between parked cars in parking lots. Avoid walking alone
in unlit and uncertain places. At night, wait for buses, taxicabs or
jeepneys in well-lighted areas.
4. When going to economically depressed areas (slums/squatters area)
communities, do not wear expensive jewelry and carry substantial cash.
If you decide to go to such places, remove your jewelry; this may save
your life or limbs.
5. Do not flash a lot of cash around when travelling. Money attracts the
bad eggs.
Commuter Safety
1. When in a bus or jeepney, do not extend your hand out the window; your
watch/jewelry could be snatched or your hand injured by another vehicle.
2. When you ride a cab, take the habit of getting the name of the cab, its plate
number, and the cab drivers name. This will be handy in case you leave
something in the cab or if the driver tries to hurt or rob you.
3. Be careful with what you carry when riding on a crowded bus. If you are to
carry so many things, take a cab home and check the cab well before
alighting.
4. If you are to visit someone, call him/her for your expected time of arrival.
This will be helpful in case an accident happens on the way. It is also
advisable to always inform your relatives or neighbors where you are going
and for how long you will be away.

Safety in Commercial Centers

1. Never try to buy something from the sidewalks; instead, go to a department
store. The goods may be a little more expensive there but it is safer since you
avoid thieves, pickpockets and sidewalk hawkers.
2. Never grab a bargain sold gold watch, diamond ring or anything from the
sidewalk. You are likely to be gypped with a stolen good and could be later on
charged with theft.
3. Never exchange your wrist watch, expensive pen or gold ring for a found
diamond ring. Never bargain or argue with strangers in the streets. Ignore
them and just leave.
4. Never go with a stranger to get a bargain article. You may be robbed or
gypped at the back street.

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Tips for Women

1. If someone is talking you, seek the help of security guards (when inside a
building) and then call or go to the nearest police block/station in your area.
2. Do not ride a jeepney if there are no female passengers inside, wait for the
next vehicles. It is safer to take a bus if you are commuting alone at night. Sit
near the driver if passengers are predominantly male.
3. Do not hitch a ride with a person you do not know very well. It is always safer
to take the bus, jeepney or taxicab.
4. Avoid watching movies alone; always take someone with you a relative or
trusted friend.
5. Ask somebody to accompany you when traveling, especially if night will
overtake you.
6. Always carry in your bag a whistle or anything that may be used to sound

alarm when in danger. Scream or shout for help when you are in danger of
being attacked.

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