BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

Recently a Royalwood resident answered a knock on the door late one night. A young lady stood there and asked to use the phone claiming that she’d been in an accident. As it turns out, she and a few other youths had been followed into Royalwood by an off duty
police officer who noticed their vehicle driving slowly through the area. He contacted an on-duty officer and was told that the vehicle (an SUV) had recently been stolen. The occupants of the SUV abandoned it but were quickly arrested when police showed up. Reports of criminals robbing victims who open their doors to strangers are all to common in today’s headlines. Here are some steps you can take to prevent such an occurrence from happening to you.
• Keep your doors locked and windows secure at all times.
• Place a peephole in the door so you can see whom is on the other side.
• Do not open the door to anyone you do not know without some kind of verification
of identification. If you are not satisfied with the identification—do not open
the door. It is your home and you do not have to allow any access to it.
• If a stranger comes to the door asking to make a phone call, do not open the door.
Offer to make the call for them.
• Do not let anyone who comes to your door know that you are alone in the house.
• If a stranger comes to the door and refuses to leave, advise them that you will call
the police. Do not panic or argue but be firm and state you intent confidently.
• At night, surround your house with adequate lighting, (Sensor lights, floodlights.)
• Join Neighbourhood Watch for further useful tips. We are still looking for individuals
who are interested in helping set up the Neighbourhood Watch Program on
their street. If you are interested, please contact Joel at 256-5864.

©2000-2010 Royalwood Neighbourhood Association