Economic decline has many people concerned about the rise of crime in their neighborhoods. The positive side being that the more concerned your neighbors are about community safety, the more likely they will be to get involved. Community involvement is probably the number one factor regarding neighborhood safety. Working with neighbors to keep your neighborhood clean and orderly help to create an atmosphere of safety and confidence that not only increases property value, but also provides for a stable family atmosphere. As well, an organized neighborhood helps reduce the burden of patrol on police officers and makes their job much easier should a crime arise in the area.
Below is a simple checklist for you to assess the safety of your neighborhood, as well as a list of questions you may wish to ask some of the neighbors and professionals in your area.
Check List (Y) (N) (N/A)
1. What is your neighborhood made up from? homeowners or renters?
2. Are businesses in your neighborhood thriving or on the decline?
does your neighborhood show activity during the day (people gardening, walking, sitting on verandas)?
Is your neighborhood active during the Evening?
3. Are there sidewalks and crossings in your area?
4. Is your community free from loiterers?
5. Do neighbors know each other by name?
6. Is your neighborhood off the beaten track? That is, is it self contained instead of a cut through to other neighborhoods? Are you off the path from the nighttime bar and club exodus?
7. Does your neighborhood support any crime watch groups?
8. Is the nearest police station within 5 miles of your home?
9. Is the nearest fire station within 2 miles of your home?
10. Are your streets well lit at night?
11. Try posting questions on sites like city-data.com. Ask anything from “What’s the best Restaurant” to “How safe are our children”
12. Check the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCRs) http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/crimestats
Is Crime on the rise or decline in the area?
Questions for Neighbors and Neighborhood forums (city-data.com, etc)
1. Have any of your neighbors been burglarized is the last 6 months?
2. Do you neighbors know of any incidents of fire, vandalism, burglary, or accidents that occurred in your home before you moved in? If so which ones?
3. Which of the following crimes have occurred in your neighborhoods history?
- Vandalism
- Robbery
- Break ins
- Assaults
- Thefts
- Murders
- Sexual Offenses
Questions for Police/Law enforcement
Do the police departments have a record of all the reported crimes in you area?
These areas include:
- Vandalism
- Robbery
- Break and Enter
- Assault
- Theft
- Murder
- Rape
- Other
Do Police see any emerging patters with regards to:
Time of day
Method off crime
Victim type
Objects stolen/Vandalized
Other
Other Questions to ask Your local Police Service
1. What are staffing levels like?
2. How many cars are usually on patrol on day and night shifts? (expect half the officers on patrol)
3. What is the average response time to emergency calls in the area?
4. Do they do vacation checks on properties, if the owners notify them that they are out of town?
5. What type of community programs are there for the area (neighborhood watch, etc)
Questions for the Local Fire Department
1. What type of emergency dispatch service does your fire department operate? How many lines go into it and how many people are staffed on those lines?
2. How many fire stations are in your area, and do they consider themselves to be well equipped? (the ISO requires a standard of a station within 5 miles of each home as a minimum protection limit, of course this isn’t always realistic)
3. How far are you from the nearest fire station?
4. What is the station’s average response time to your area?
5. How good is your area’s water supply? Are there any issue with water pressure during times of peak use?
Questions for Emergency Medical Assistance
Checklist for public relations
1. How far is the nearest
Ambulance dispatch center?
Hospital?
Emergency Medical Center?
2. What is the Average response time for an ambulance?
3. Is the nearby hospital emergency room well staffed and adequately equipped?
4. What Services does the hospital offer?
5. Is there a poison control center nearby? If so what are its services?
Question about Utility Companies
1. How quickly do your utility companies respond if interrupted following a home emergency or weather disaster.
Questions for Local Insurance Companies
Does your insurance company know of:
1. Crimes
2. Fires
3. Vandalism
Questions for Local Real Estate Agents
1. Are Housing Prices in the area increasing or decreasing?
2. Ask about 3 or 4 different areas in order to get the most honest result. What do they say about your area as compared to the other 3?
3. Ask 3 different real estate agents about the area. Do they all agree?
4. Do they know of any homes that bight be harder to sell because of past crimes committed there?
Questions for Local or Community Newspapers
1. What does the current issue show with regards to:
- Vandalism
- Muggings
- Robbery
- Arson
- Assaults
2. Go to the library or newspaper office and check back issues. What do they show?
Questions for Local Schools
1. Is youth crime on the rise, decline or steady?
2. Does the school have people from higher crime rate areas outside their district?
3. How often are the police called to the school
Combining your neighborhood safety with your home security plan will create a safer and less stressful life for you, your family, and your community.
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