Tips and advice for a stress free time
Ealing Council has been working behind the scenes to help people stay safe and get the most out of the festive season.
Councillor Vlod Barchuk, Ealing Council’s Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said:
“As well as bringing residents’ attention to the risks around this holiday period, we’ll be deploying borough PCSOs and working with the Police to address the crime problems that arise at this time of year”.
You are more susceptible to becoming a victim of crime if you are out at night and if alcohol is involved.
To ensure you have memorable Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, Ealing Council's Community Safety teams recommends you:
- Keep bags closed and keep your wallet or purse out of sight, - Use cash machines only in daylight, or with a friend, if you can,
- Keep your mobile phone hidden and keep calls brief,
- Carry a personal alarm,
- Plan ahead, travel with a friend, do not take risks and tell someone where you are going in order to ensure you get home safely,
- For a licensed minicab, text HOME to 60835 to get a safe ride home.
For a black cab, call 0871 871 8710 to get a black cab sent to you,
- If using public transport, use well-lit, busy roads to get to the bus stop or train station. Sit near the driver at the front of the bus or use the front or middle carriages on Tubes and trains.
Safety in the Home
If you are going away for the Christmas/New Year break, it is a good idea to:
- Disconnect the answering machine, or re-word the greeting message to give the impression you are only temporarily unable to answer,
- Cancel the delivery of milk and papers
- Enlist the help of a neighbour, or someone you trust, to keep a regular eye on your home and keep the front door free of deliveries,
- Make it look like you are in when you are out, by setting timer switches to turn lights and radios on and off,Remove any sets of house or car keys sitting in an obvious place, for example, just inside the front door.
Violence in the Home
Unfortunately Christmas is a time when domestic violence can first appear, or get worse. Ealing Council Community Safety team member Uzma Butt, is trained as an independent domestic violence advocate, who offers confidential advice directly to victims of domestics violence.
Uzma said: “Domestic violence is about power and control. So, Christmas may mean an abuse victim experiences heightened fear and isolation because of intense scrutiny from a violent partner. We want to reassure victims that they should come forward and that we will support them, and protect them where necessary."
Uzma said her team would do all within their power to make sure perpetrators were arrested by the police and then prosecuted. She said there were a number of things victims of domestic violence could do to help protect themselves:
- Memorise emergency phone numbers and learn where to get help,
- Plan an escape route and teach it to your children, and pack a bag with important things, in case you have to leave quickly. Leave it in a safe place or with someone you trust,
- Stay away from the kitchen, where potential weapons can be found, and away from small spaces or rooms where you can be trapped,
- Call me or a domestic violence service and ask for help. · Uzma 020 8825 9024 · National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 247 · Ealing Domestic Violence Advocacy Service 020 8574 4001 Ealing Police 020 8810 1212. Call 999 in an emergency.
For more information about safety in Ealing borough this Christmas, visit www.ealing.gov.uk/staysafe.
If you or any of your neighbours feel people are behaving inconsiderately, call the Community Safety teams on 020 8825 7600.
December 17th, 2009
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