A street in the Flats is pictured on December 12. Medicine Hat police are reminding residents to protect their homes if they're going away for the holidays. - Photo by Bob Schneider

By Charles Lefebvre

Holiday theft prevention

Police provide tips to keep home safe during holidays

Dec 12, 2019 | 11:46 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Whether you’re heading out on a tropical vacation during the holidays, or simply just heading out of town, the Medicine Hat Police Service is reminding you to take precautions to ensure your home doesn’t become the target of a break and enter.

“While those things can happen any time, we want to remind the community on some extra safety tips during the holidays,” said Sergeant Darlene Garrecht with the police service’s community safety unit.

Garrecht says one tip is to have a trusted neighbour keep an eye on your home, and help make it appear someone is still present in the home at the time.

This includes checking your mail, collecting newspapers, shovelling your sidewalks, and even parking a car in the driveway.

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“We all live in communities, where we all know about the people that live in our community, vehicles that are around there,” she said. “So they know you are gone, and they kind of keep an extra eye out in the community and report anything suspicious or people that don’t belong in the area.”

She also adds you should avoid posting information on social media that you’re going out of town for vacations.

“People will tend to say that they’re leaving for out of town, or they’re at an airport, and they’re leaving a certain time,” she said. “It gives them the know that they’re actually not at home during those times.”

by Charles Lefebvre

Police provide tips to keep home safe during holidays

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