3 Easy to Implement Tips to Prevent Springtime Crime
It’s Springtime in South Carolina
It’s spring!
In South Carolina that means
- Flowers
- Golf
- Soccer
- Beach walks
- Myrtle Beach Marathon
- Sweet Tea
- and so much more!
Springtime is a time for renewal and outdoor activities.
Preventing Springtime Crime
Did you know that the lowest rates of motor vehicle theft… is in the springtime?
Most crimes and crimes of opportunity happen…in the summer months.
Just because there is less crime, that doesn’t mean crime stops on the Grand Strand in the spring. It just means there is less to worry about for now, and time to prepare for the summer to come. Building good habits now can help prevent future crimes.
- always activate your alarm system
- lock doors and window behind you
- stay alert
- don’t post to social media when you go on vacation
Here are 3 things you can do today that will help you prevent springtime crime!
1 Prevent Personal Property Thefts in Spring
In spring, people spend more time outdoors. They have a tendency to leave equipment outside. Yard tools, kids toys, bicycles, tools, lawnmowers, weed eaters, blowers. We urge you to lock up personal property once you are done using it – in your garage or in a shed or barn.
If you do springtime yard work and spring cleaning, keep your doors locked while working.
We say it often: even when you are home, lock your doors behind you and activate the alarm system. Your valuables — purses, wallets and car keys — are often within reach from inside the front door for a quick run-and-dash crime. If you lock your doors, that easy steal is off the table!
Ladders left out in your yard could be used by criminals to gain access into your own home.
Keep ladders in your garage and lock up any storage unit or shed you have on your property.
2 Spring Cleaning Home Security Lapses
If you are hiring someone to clean your windows, they might need access to the inside of your home. Always double check that all windows are still locked after a service provider has been in your home. If you are cleaning your windows on your own, do the same.
If you do any spring yard maintenance, consider how landscaping might obscure a clear view to your front door. Trim back large bushes and ornamental plants.
Does the Start of Daylight Saving Time Bring Us More or Less Crime?
Daylight Saving Time – Love it or Hate it?
Do you like Daylight Saving time, or do you dread it? It’s almost that time, on Sunday, March 13 we will be ‘springing ahead’ to add an extra hour of daylight into our days!
There is a movement to do away with it all together while most western countries are still adhering to Daylight Saving Time.
Here is some history on it as found on Wikipedia
“Daylight saving time in the United States is the practice of setting the clock forward by one hour when there is longer daylight during the day, so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. Most areas of the United States observe daylight saving time (DST). The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established the system of uniform daylight saving time throughout the US.
In the U.S., daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, with the time changes taking place at 2:00 a.m. local time. With a mnemonic word play referring to seasons, clocks “spring forward, fall back”—that is, in springtime the clocks are moved forward from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. and in fall they are moved back from 2:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Daylight saving time lasts for a total of 34 weeks (238 days) every year, about 65% of the entire year.”
More daylight and warmer weather in spring time means… more criminal activity!
Does Daylight Saving Time Reduce or Increase Crime?
You might be surprised to find out how Daylight Saving time affects crime! We were!
“In a new paper forthcoming in The Review of Economics and Statistics, we find that shifting daylight from the morning to the early evening has pretty hefty returns for public safety. When DST begins in the spring, robbery rates for the entire day fall an average of 7 percent, with a much larger 27 percent drop during the evening hour that gained some extra sunlight.
Why might this time shift matter? The timing of sunset is pretty close to the time many of us leave work, and walking to our cars or homes in the dark makes us easier targets for street criminals. We feel safer when we’re walking in the daylight, and it’s easy to imagine why light might have a deterrent effect on crime: offenders know they’re more likely to be recognized and get caught if they’re fully visible. The timing of sunset matters because our daily schedules can’t easily adapt to follow the daylight. Most people can’t leave work before 5pm, even if it would be safer to do so.”
source: brooking.edu
Spring Season is Not a Big Crime Season (but Summer is!)
More daylight means less darkness which in turn translates to less crime.
Most criminals do want cover of darkness to commit their crimes. The biggest exception is burglaries, which happen most often between the time of 10 AM – 2 PM, when people are not home but at work!
So what can you do in spring?
- Relax!
- Go outside and play.
- Make sure to activate your home security system, but enjoy that extra daylight and sunshine.
If you are the spring cleaning kind, read this.
If you are the worrying kind, here are some spring home security tips to consider implementing.
Daylight Saving Time Bring Us Less Crime!
You got this!
Springtime Home Security Tips for Homeowners
Spring is Here!
As the south heats up, we spend a lot more time outside. When we spend more time outside, our home opens up as well and new security issues can arise as we might be a bit more careless around our home as far as security and personal safety is concerned!
Enjoy your Spring days, but don’t let your guard down.
3 Springtime Home Security and Safety Tips!
Whether you live in South Carolina, or elsewhere, take head and prevent crime and personal tragedies by taking safety and security measures before accidents and crime happen!
1 Open Doors and Windows Invite Trouble!
Open doors and unlocked and open windows invite trouble. Criminals always look ofr easy ways in and if you don’t know this statistic, it should scare you just a bit:
Most burglaries happen between the hours of 10 AM – 2PM.
That means during the day when you least expect it and when your guard is down. Therefore, always alarm your home, even if you are home and don’t leave doors unlocked and windows open when you do leave.
2 Swimming Pools and Personal Safety
While swimming pools in the south offer relief from heat and humidity, they are a safety hazard for families with kids. Did you know that children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates?
Tips to help your family stay safe in and around the water
- Supervise When in or Around Water. Designate a responsible adult to watch young children while in the pool and all children swimming or playing in or around water. Supervisors of preschool children should provide “touch supervision”, be close enough to reach the child at all times. Because drowning occurs quickly and quietly, adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity (such as reading, playing cards, talking on the phone, or mowing the lawn) while supervising children.
- Use the Buddy System. Always swim with a buddy.
Read more about pool safety here.
3 Prevent Bike Theft!
When the weather cooperates, we tend to want to go outside and exercise. While bikes may have been locked up all winter, now that it’s springtime, these are parked either outside or in an open garage.
Bikes are an easy ‘steal’ for a criminal looking for a quick win.
Don’t want your bikes to disappear? Alarm your home and your garage, install security cameras, like the Ring camera and keep an eye on your property at all times, even when you aren’t home!
Want More Security Tips or Need Specific Questions Answered?
We’d love the opportunity to talk with you. Give us a call anytime at 843-318-6392 with your concerns and questions.
Happy Springtime!
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