The media often highlight exactly how dangerous the internet, and particularly social media, can be with regard to home security. Certainly some users do seem to like to overshare personal details which makes it particularly simple for other people, many of which are relative strangers, to garner lots of juicy information; this can range from where a person lives through to details of their most treasured belongings, particularly after a birthday or anniversary when people are posting and sharing photos of lovely new jewellery and fascinating gadgets.
Equally easy to note are details of when a property is vacant; ‘checking in’ at the airport and/or hotels, or posting photos of your holiday, before you come home, is particularly risky because it enables savvy thieves to know that your home is, or may be empty.
Yet, on the flip side - social media could also be your greatest ally. The ability to keep people in touch is hugely powerful in a world where smartphones are the norm and, with a little organisation, it can become a powerful tool for community security.
Communities and neighbourhoods today are less close-knit than they were decades ago. Nowadays people move more often and work much longer hours, rarely seeing, let alone knowing, their neighbours. However, this is being combatted with the rise of online neighbourhood communities.
Using an online social media platform for community purposes is not a particularly new phenomenon; Facebook Groups and community forums have long been used to help promote local events or for selling second-hand goods. However, the new rise of online communities is helping to bridge the gap between conventional neighbourhood watch schemes and a whole new wave of virtual communities of responsible and watchful folk.
Groups can be used to:
- Warn each other of doorstep fraudsters – helpful to help keep elderly locals safe from charlatans.
- Spread knowledge of any suspicious activity from strangers – particularly helpful if there have been any local attempts at abduction or other crimes.
- Share details of local home burglaries or car theft, even detailing techniques used to gain access. This can help individuals target their own home weak spots.
- Highlight potential problem areas for youth gang crime – from petty theft through to graffiti. These issues can be brought to the attention of the relevant police authorities before they become a major problem.
- Any bullying issues can be brought to notice – with parents and schools participating together in combatting potentially harmful victimisation occurrences.
- Ask for potential witnesses of crimes – it’s possible to reach far beyond the local community with sharing potential.
- Let people know when you’re going away, ensuring that they keep an extra close eye on your property.
Statistics suggest that around 20% of us are now using online forums and social media channels to connect and communicate with our neighbours. Capitalising on modern technology for positive reasons, such as keeping our community safe for both ourselves and our neighbours, is a great breakthrough. Obviously, we all still have to be ultra-vigilant about keeping ourselves cyber safe but it’s certainly more reassuring to know that we could potentially have this vital community activity to rely on, with just a little bit of effort on everyone’s part.
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