Northumbria Police

Whether you are out shopping, in the car or at home, take some simple crime prevention precautions to protect yourself and your property. Northumbria Police is promoting this message in the run up to Christmas, one of the busiest shopping times of the year.

Officers keen to see the public enjoying the festive season will be encouraging people to take care of their personal belongings, whether they are out and about or in the comfort of their home.

Posters and leaflets will be used to remind people of the simple precautions they can take to prevent them becoming a victim of crime, whether it is through removing valuable items from their cars, closing handbags to keep items out of sight or locking doors and windows when at home.

Police are working in partnership with the North East Retail Crime Partnership to ensure that retailers are also passing the safety messages on.

People are encouraged to register any personal property, electronic equipment from lap tops to tvs, bikes and even jewellery on immobilise.com. This service is available free of charge and is used by police forces across the country. It means that if anyone loses an item and police find or recover it, officers have a better chance of reuniting it with its owner.