Being safe at home

By using some of the simple personal safety precautions that follow, you can help minimise your risks at home.

When a visitor arrives

• Open your door only to people you know and trust.

• Use your peephole, door chain or a window to see who's at the door before opening it.

• Check the credentials of charity workers and don't let them into your home.

• Always check the credentials of service repair people and sales people.

• Talk to these people through a locked security door. If you are unsure about a person's motives, ask for the name of their company and their identification card, then telephone the company to check their credentials.

• Use the phone book to find the number rather than relying on the number the person gives you.

• Ring your local police station if their actions seem suspicious.

• If someone is at the door and you are alone and feeling insecure, pretend there is someone else in the house (preferably a male).

• Be discreet if you live alone. It is better not to indicate on unit or flat directories or nameplates whether you are Ms, Miss, Mrs or Mr. Just use your surname. In the phone book, use initials and surname only.

• If a stranger or caller asks to use your telephone, direct them to the nearest public phone, or make the call for them while keeping them outside.

  "When I lived at home by myself, I used to keep a pair of my late husband's shoes at the front door and hang some of his clothes on the line." Gladys, 84

About the telephone

• Don't give your name, phone number, address or details of who lives in your home to unknown telephone callers.

• In case of nuisance calls, say nothing and hang up. If calls persist, contact your phone company and seek their advice.

• Keep police, ambulance, relatives' and doctor's telephone numbers clearly written down next to your phone/s.

• If you have a key-pad touch phone, key these emergency numbers into the speed dial buttons.

• Also, enter these emergency numbers as speed dials into your mobile phone.

• If possible, have a phone extension or keep your mobile phone in your bedroom.

• Make arrangements to have regular contact with someone you trust. Try setting up a code, such as three rings on the phone each morning, or simply lifting your blind at the start of each day so they know you're okay.

If there's an intruder

• If you're at home and find an intruder, you could:
  • activate the burglar alarm;
  • get to the nearest phone (bedroom) and quietly call the police; and/or
  • switch on lights and make a lot of noise moving about, but DON'T CONFRONT THE INTRUDER.
  
  
• If the intruder confronts you, try to stay calm, but shout and scream, especially if you believe this noise might be heard by a neighbour.

• Keep as much distance as possible between you and the intruder.

• If you arrive home and suspect an intruder is inside, DO NOT ENTER THE HOUSE. Go to a neighbour's house and call the police on Triple Zero (000). Keep out of sight and a safe distance from the house.
  
• If you see anyone leaving, try to remember what they look like (what they're wearing, hair colour, complexion) and take a description of their car and its registation number.

In rural areas

Although country areas may be considered safer than cities because residents usually know each other, crime still occurs.

Properties are often isolated and can be easily entered, which can make farming communities easier targets for criminals.

In addition to the other safety tips in this handbook, the following actions can be used in rural areas to make life safer:

• If your phone isn't always reliable, establish a signal with your neighbour to alert them if there is a problem or you require help.

• The signal may be a bell, a siren or simply continually sounding a car horn.

• Tell local people who regularly pass your property (such as bus drivers and delivery people) of your signal.

• Encourage others to report anything that seems suspicious, is out of the ordinary or may be a concern.

"My neighbour and I have a system where we both hang tea towels in the window each morning so we know we're okay." Clem, 69