Travellers given crime advice (From Barry And District News)

Travellers given crime advice

BARRY police and local travel agents have joined forces in a bid to crack down on household burglaries.

Officers have issued a Home Office leaflet to all Vale outlets which is packed full of tips on how householders can secure homes when they are on holiday.

Vale of Glamorgan crime prevention officer PC Simon Rees said: "Almost half of all burglaries happen when a flat or house is empty. The anguish people go through when they return from a holiday and find their house has been broken into is terrible.

"This leaflet, published by the Home Office and distributed to all the travel agents in the Vale, should help to minimise the risks."

Instead of simply leaving the leaflets on tables in the travel shops, the agents are actually sliding them inside ticket wallets when holidays are formally booked on the premises.

Madeline Rendall, manager of Lunn Poly in Holton Road, said: "The leaflets are bright yellow and are easily noticeable. But to make sure we get the message across we are actively giving them out to people who book holidays with us."

The leaflet has a panel with a perforated edge for holiday-makers to fill in and give to their neighbours. It contains spaces for vital information about the dates they are going away and when they will be returning, holiday destinations, addresses and contact numbers in case of any emergency and the telephone number of the holiday company.

PC Rees added: "In all the excitement of going away, it is so easy to forget the basic things that leave the home exposed to sharp-eyed intruders. Things like closed curtains, milk on doorsteps, even newspapers sticking out of letter boxes. The leaflet gives a common sense check list to follow, which will hopefully lessen the chances of people returning to find their valuables gone and home ransacked."