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Dear Resident Protect your home against opportunist burglars by remembering to ‘lock up’ and check on your neighbours. Dark evenings can provide perfect cover for burglars who can easily spot an open window in an unoccupied room, see your valuables through open curtains or blinds, or try their luck with an unlocked door while you are distracted. Here are some crime prevention tips to help keep your property safe: Try to make your house look as occupied as possible when you are not there.Do not leave your house and vehicle keys in the lock or on a side table in view of a window.Do not leave items in open porches that could be used to enter your home, for example, curved-handled umbrellas to open doors or keys through letterboxesAlways lock your windows and doors when you are in. If you have UPVC front doors take extra care to lock these as soon as you get into your property.Check your UPVC or Euro cylinder door lock to see if it is snap resistant. It should be stamped with a three-star Kite Mark. If it is not, you get the lock changed to either a SS312 Diamond Approved Cylinder, TS007 3 Star Kitemarked Cylinder, or a 1 Star Cylinder with 2 Star handle for maximum protection. For more information contact the Master Locksmiths Association, or read this guide.If you are going away for a few days, ask a trusted friend or neighbour to keep an eye on your property. They can help by pushing post sticking out of the letterbox inside fully or checking garden gates are shut.Visit our crime prevention pages for further information: Protecting your home from crime | Crime prevention | West Midlands Police 
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