More and more people are locked into renting for longer as house prices rise and the amount needed for a deposit gets further out of reach for lots of people. Home ownership isn’t a complete pipe dream, however, as parental shared mortgages and part ownership schemes can provide a help onto the first rung that… Read more »
What Do Criminals Want Right Now?
Recently we reported on the drop in car thefts thanks to the new policing plan, which has targeted chop shops. These are places where stolen vehicles are taken (often stolen to order) and dismantled, with the parts then either being sold off or used to repair other stolen vehicles to be sold on. Criminals looking… Read more »
Protecting Public Premises
Protecting a home or business premises is relatively easy compared to protecting a building to which the public has access some or all of the time. We’re talking about bus stations, libraries, town halls and hospitals – the sort of place anyone can enter unchallenged, but where there are also office based staff behind closed… Read more »
Bad News For Midlands Criminals
Earlier this year we reported on the numbers of serving police officers in the West Midlands and looked at the crime rate for the same period. This made for fairly grim reading, as there were just 8,067 officers serving at the time of writing. When compared to levels in 2010, this represented a 559 officer… Read more »
Can You Afford Not To Have An Alarm?
With burglary rates rising and the cost of living following the same trajectory, it’s understandable that homeowners are wondering whether to install a burglar alarm. A similar dilemma faces alarm owners who ought to upgrade and who need to pay for yearly service and maintenance. Depending on your viewpoint it may seem like a luxury… Read more »
Your Local Crime Picture
Residents of the West Midlands, particularly Birmingham, will be interested to know the crime rates for their postcodes which were obtained under a Freedom of Information (FoI) request this year. West Midlands Police responded with the 15 most hard-hit postcodes over the year so far and it makes for sobering reading. The Erdington and Northfield… Read more »
Beating Burglary Gangs
An organised gang of four burglars was recently jailed for 47 years and six months between them, after they stole around £350,000 of property in the space of just three months. The gang, originally from Ireland but operating across the West Midlands, targeted properties where cash and jewellery could be stolen, or other high value… Read more »
West Midlands Crime Statistics Q3 2023
As the nights draw in we’re reviewing the crime picture for the third quarter of 2023 (the period spanning July to September) and seeing what the trends are for the four types of crime we are most able to protect against. Generally speaking, crime rates drop in the winter as there is a link with… Read more »
Baby It’s Dark Out There
Another year has flown by and it’s time to start getting into the festive spirit with our take on the oldie Christmas classic Baby It’s Cold Outside. The original song was written in 1944, by Frank Loesser and made popular when it featured in the 1949 movie Neptune’s Daughter. Although it’s not strictly a Christmas… Read more »
Managing Internal Theft Risks In Your Business
The phrase “internal theft” makes people think about employee theft, and while that’s a significant part of internal theft, it’s not the only angle. Internal theft can also be perpetrated by suppliers, contractors, accountants and anyone else who is associated or involved in any way with your business. Internal theft could be a repair contractor… Read more »