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SPRING 2016 #125
www.kemptownrag.co.uk
VINTAGE CHARM
Kemptown Trading Post
An Aladdin’s cave
Chris Cooke tribute
A man of the people
Metrodeco
Keep calm and drink gin
Kemptown writes
All our regular columnists
PCSO’s Update
In this issue
Kemptown Trading Post
Chris Cooke
5
Kemptown Rag visits an Aladdin’s cave
We pay tribute to the late, great, Chris Cooke
Metrodeco 9
The editor keeps calm & drinks tea infused gin
cocktails
From the editor
A Spring in my step!
7 W
elcome to the Spring edition of Kemptown Rag! We’re
pleased to have our regular columnists back, with the
exception of the late Chris Cooke, sadly missed by all.
[See our tribute p.7.] Also, welcome to Steve Parry [p.14]
I don’t know about you, but something magical happens to me
each Spring. It’s a gradual metamorphesis, that begins with me
unfurling from the shroud of blankets I have spent the entirety of
Winter ensconced in. [ While watching all manner of guff on the
TV I might add.] The work - to - home run is usually about as
exciting as it gets on cold dark evenings, but now Spring is here,
I have options that don’t involve my sofa.
Kemp Town is also coming alive, tables and chairs litter the
pavements, with people lazily enjoying the outdoors again. I
happened to pay a visit to Kemptown Trading Post to peruse the
many stalls, looking for some suitable Spring clobber. Afterwards
I sat outside the in-house coffee shop, Cup of Joe, with the sun on
my face, tucking into some al fresco breakfast. Next stop was
Metrodeco, where I was tempted with a tea infused gin cocktail,
called a ‘Shady Lady’. The name seemed appropriate for
someone who had been spending so much time indoors over the
past few months. As Robin Williams once said: “Spring is
nature’s way of saying, lets party!” and I fully intend to....
Catherine Considine, Latest Music Bar
Catherine Loves a little space / book your
wedding party at Latest Music Bar
12
To advertise your business,
service or event in
Kemptown Rag call
01273 818150
or visit our website to find out more at
www.kemptownrag.co.uk
Kemptown Writes
Paul Thomas, Greenfingers & Brighton Dad
Kemptown Writes
Grumpy Old Git & Steve Parry
PCSO’s Update
Eva Collins has news from your local area
THE KTR TEAM
Editor, Samantha Harman - editor@kemptownrag.co.uk
Sales: sophie@thelatest.co.uk / 01273 818150
Designer: Kyle Moon/Ryan Chambers
All enquiries: 01273 818150
15
14
13
Have Your Say!
Readers, tell us about your Kemptown ...
Do you have a comment, a question, or an interesting local story
to tell? If so, we’d love to hear from you - and you could see your
comments in print in the next issue.
Email editor@kemptownrag.co.uk and tell us about your
Kemptown.
Kemptown Rag is produced by
Latest Homes Ltd
Kemptown Rag,
14-17 Manchester Street,
Brighton, BN1 4GH
The Kemptown Rag provides a forum for th
people of Kemptown and as such i
impartial. All columns in the Kemptown Rag
are the opinions of the writers and not th
publication itself unless otherwise stated.
The Kemp Town Trading Post
Handbags and Gladrags
he Kemptown Trading Post is a hidden trove of vintage and
contemporary treasures, nestled in the heart of the village.
Whether you're searching for something unique for your home,
a special new outfit, a gift, or simply want to take a load off and
enjoy a selection of coffee and high- end varieties of tea or sample
some delicious food at the Café – then this is the place for you.
The relaxed community vibe ensures a stress free environment in
which to meet friends and peruse the eclectic mixture of stalls within.
There really is something to suit every taste, regardless of age or
gender.
Kemp Town Rag caught up with one of the long term traders, Sue,
who sells a variety of treasures, ranging from jewellery to vintage
furnishings, who revealed: “ I love working here, there is such a
friendly atmosphere, Herve and George are wonderful people to
work with, we all help each other out and of course the food is
unbelievable!”
The in-house cafe, 'Cup of Joe' is at the heart of the business and
has been recently refurbished. It offers a mouth-watering array of
French influenced cuisine, traditional English fare, homemade cakes
and healthy options too. Everyone is welcome including your
canine counterparts, who are may enjoy a bowl of water while they
wait!
This unique business truly captures the diversity and community
spirit that is synonymous with Kemp Town, pop down and say Hi!
You won't be disappointed.
http://kemptowntradingpost.co.uk, 27 St Georges Street, BN2 1ED.
T
For all decorating
needs inside and out.
All works to the highest
standards and at
negotiable prices
20 years experience
No job too small
Free quotation
Sunshine Day
Nursery Open Day
Saturday 21 May 2016 10am – 2pm
unshine Day Nursery in Eastern Road, Kemptown is a friendly
and inviting nursery offering a warm and homely environment
for children from birth to five years. Conveniently located in
central Kemptown, and open from 8am to 6pm five days per week,
the nursery is an excellent childcare choice for working families in
the local area.
Children of all ages benefit from two fantastic outdoor play
spaces which have been specifically designed with the needs of
young children in mind. The
nursery is separated into three
units which allow children to
make friends with others of the
same age. Babies are cared
for in their own intimate room.
The nursery has recently
started using an online journal
called ‘Tapestry’ which records
all the learning and fun
activities that the children enjoy.
The system is secure and allows
parents to access photos, video
clips and observations made
by the staff about their child’s
time at Sunshine.
S
This has revolutionised the way parents, carers and even
grandparents find out about what their child has been doing at
nursery. Parents of a two year old child said “Before the nursery
started using Tapestry I didn’t realise just how much my child was
doing at nursery, but now I can log on at lunch time and see what
he has been up to that morning. There might be pictures of him
doing cooking and art activities or playing outside with his friends,
it’s brilliant and very reassuring.”
Families are welcome to visit the nursery and meet the
experienced and caring staff team on Saturday 21 May 2016
between 10am and 2pm.
For more information contact the nursery on 01273 680280 or visit
the website www.sunshine-nursery.com
Chris Cooke
This Charming Man
Kemptown Rag pays tribute to the late Chris Cooke
W
hat better way to pay tribute to the late
Chris Cooke than through his own
words. We searched our archives and
found an article written by him, which perfectly
illustrates how passionate he was about the
community in which he lived. A friend to all and
much loved columnist at Kemptown Rag, missed
but never forgotten. R.I.P Chris.
As a community activist in Kemp Town one of my
New Year resolutions was about how to promote
our neighbourhood. I doubt if many people will
know that St. James’ Street used to be known as
the ‘Little Laine’. I want to ensure it does not
become the ‘Forgotten Laine’. It is of enormous
concern that St. James’ and the streets into Kemp
Town, such as Upper St. James’ and St. Georges’
are being ignored.
We are seeing proposed investment all around
us; Edward Street and the old Amex building,
Circus Street, Valley Gardens and the seafront east
of the pier, yet nothing in one of the most vibrant
and important areas of the city. There is a ‘City
Plan’, used as guidance by the local authority for investment and
support for areas throughout the city. The present plan provides
strategic guidance until 2030 and we merit only a couple of
footnotes. We are being ignored and it is only through a strong
community voice and an agreed vision for the area that this will
change.
We are a vibrant area of enormous importance to the vitality
and culture of our City. We deserve attention! I will be working with
local businesses, local community organisations and residents to
ensure that our area receives the support and recognition it
deserves.
One only has to look to our neighbours to
see the excellent results achieved by the
Business Improvement District (BID) over in
the Lanes and the injection of Mary Portas
funds into London Road. We too should be
part of these neighbourhood improvements. I
have been particularly impressed with the
‘street ambassadors’ over in the
Lanes/London Road and their enhancements
such as hanging baskets and Christmas
lights. All things that St. James’ could and
should have.
For far too long we have been ignored
and this must now change. We need people
with a vision to ‘bang heads together’ and
make our case to the wider business
community and the City Council. We
desperately need publicity for the area. A
tourist information point in St James’ Street or
Kemp Town would be a great start! We’re
not just a Little Laine. We are a loud and
proud Laine and deserve the investment that
of late is sadly missing.
Come into our vintage tea room for a tea or a
tipple. From cocktails to gins, afternoon tea
to evening platters, you can eat, drink and be
frivolous. We won't tell.
Contact 01273 677243, info@metrodeco.com
facebook, twitter: Metrodeco
www.metro-deco.com
Metrodeco
A storm in a vintage teacup
Metrodeco is situated on Upper St James Street and was
established in 2008, starting off life as an Art Deco antiques
shop. Co-owners Maggie and Helen cleverly decided to
amalgamate a tea room into the equation in 2009.
Gradually the tea room trade overtook the antiques trade,
meaning that it made sense to stop selling the furniture and let
people sit on it instead! The tearoom is both decadent and
welcoming, retaining an air of 1930's vintage glamour with a
contemporary, Brighton twist. Pooches are very welcome, you
can even buy luxury dog biscuits so they don't feel left out, while
you indulge in a sumptuous cream tea, or a cocktail or two.
Having already been acquainted with the heavenly delights of
Metrodeco's cream tea, I was so over the moon when invited to
try some tea infused gin cocktails, that I literally skipped the
length of St James Street to get there. The owner offered me a
‘Shady Lady’, which arrived in a miniature glass teapot,
accompanied by a matching glass teacup and saucer. Feeling
rather like a character from Alice in Wonderland, I poured myself
a dram and was delighted with the perfectly balanced mixture of
flavours: Blackdown Gin infused with Metrodeco's own Shades
of Grey tea (Earl Grey with rose and orange peel), pomegranate
and rose cordial, lychee liqueur and a top up of tonic. This was
a welcome alternative to my usual G&T, I didn't even mind that it
was raining on the walk home afterwards, such is the power of a
decent gin cocktail.
There are a variety of gin's available, which come served in
delightful Spanish Balloon glasses. Not only that, Metrodeco
make their own dehydrated fruit that they use to garnish the
drinks, which certainly adds something extra special to the
presentation. Owner, Helen, was quick to point out that they are
not a bar, just somewhere that happens to sell nice drinks. She is
very much an ambience advocator, saying: “It's not just about
drinking the drink, there are other factors involved too. From the
flavours, to the glass you're drinking from. We pride ourselves on
creating the perfect atmosphere for our customers to sit and enjoy
themselves. We see it as an experience rather than just a drink.”
Now that the weather has drastically improved, it would be
impertinent not to stop by after work one evening and enjoy
some of possibly the nicest cocktails you’ll ever have, served by
people who are passionate about their gin. I will certainly be
repeating the experience.
159
Catherine Considine
A little space
Me and Mr C in our own little world
L
et’s start with a little orientation. Like many flats in
Kemptown ours is a conversion, scaled down
from a grander age and consequently somewhat
topsy-turvy. Come in from the street and you’ll find
yourself in the back garden. A pathway leads to our
yellow front door and through to the kitchen at the
back of the building. It’s spring, so let’s stay outside
for a bit. The garden is a gravelled affair broken up
with clusters of plants and brick paths. A patch of
wild flowers sprouts outside two sheds. We call it ‘The Meadow’.
Occasionally we chuck seeds at it – in a recent experiment I’ve
been emptying camomile teabags over it – but on the whole it is
a self propagating beast and a source of constant wonder.
“Did you see that blue flower?” Mr C will say.“Next to the pink,
poppy-ish thing?”
“I know,” I’ll say. And we’ll stare a little longer.
I don’t actually know what a camomile lawn looks like so
judging the success of the teabag experiment will be a subjective
process. We will have to watch for subtle clues.
“Do you fancy a cuppa?” He’ll say one summery afternoon.
“Umm yes,” I’ll reply “Camomile please.”
I realise I may be giving a false impression. In case you are
imaging The Meadow as a sun dappled space where you might
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As Latest Musicbar is also a renowned live venue, they do love a
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– Laura and Oli
L
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“My wife and I had such an amazing reception at the Latest
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Have a look at what more previous couples have said about their
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To book your perfect party, please call 01273 687171 or email
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Street, Brighton, BN2 1TF.
www.thelatest.co.uk/musicbar
let a dog loose in the morning with a tennis ball; or sprawl with
a kindle on a lazy afternoon; or dance barefoot with a new love
in the moonlight, let me be precise. A mathematically minded
friend once estimated that our meadow spans approximately
0.000000693 square acres. That’s about the size of a small
dinner table.
We work from home in the sheds behind. His – and trust me, I
would avoid the gender distinction if I could – is a MAN shed.
Wood, tools, tech and vinyl vie for space beneath a suspended
bike and a dangerously low strip light. Mine
is a more sedate affair, carpeted and whitewashed
with a pale wood flip-down desk
and a cushioned wicker chair. Most days The
Meadow is filled not with birdsong, but a
gentle “tap-tap-dammit!” from my shed as my
writing goes awry and a stream of expletives
from his as he manages infuriating deliveries
on the phone or hammers together his latest
creation. I like small space. I like the way
that everything is necessary; nothing is superfluous. I like that in
my little white-washed space the white noise of my day is his. I
like that two lives can sit side-by-side and not get in the way of
each other.
But summer is just around the corner and as all Kemptownians
know, summer brings guests. The Meadow flowering is the first
sign. Next the sofa bed, tucked against the wall of my shed, will
crank open to accommodate out-of-towners. As the weather
improves the yellow front door will stay open for the flow of food
from kitchen to barbecue. And if occasionally you notice me
linger in Egg and Spoon a moment or two longer than a coffee
requires, let me be. Sometimes I just need a little space.
Catherine writes about Love, Dinner and Other Distractions in
Kemptown at: www.whileiamthinkingaboutit.com
Paul Thomas
May the fest be with you
A
fter a long winter, Spring is upon us which heralds the
Brighton Festival. The cultural electricity will be throbbing in
the city, courtesy of
guest director Laurie
Anderson, of O’Superman
fame. If you stop to tie your
laces and do so
incorporating the theme of
the fragmented assimilation
of the migrant humming bee
pollinating Kemptown you
might get a grant and put on
a show.
Joking aside, keep an eye
out out for Clairiere Urbaine,
(urban clearing) by the
French company Retouramont On Saturday 21st, they take over
Lavender Street, in Kemptown for the UK premiere of their show of
aerial choreography incorporating the surrounding space,
promising a spectacular trip through the urban jungle. You can also
enjoy a lively debate on just how urban Kemptown is, all for free.
Away from the main Festival, The Fringe promises more earthly
delights via comedy, music, dance and street theatre which means
the cafe’s bars and pubs will be busier than usual, so please be
nice to the staff .
Before all the festival madness starts, International Star Wars day
is on the 4th as in: ‘May the fourth be with you’. With Star Wars,
Superman and X-men nods to the month, you might reach your limit
of sci-fi and superheroes. Respire could be discovered at weekends
offering the Artists Open Houses, including the popular Kemptown
trail. Remember, you are not having a nose at how other people
live, you are gaining essential context to the work on offer. Most do
lovely tea and cakes, so take advantage and gather some artistic
memories. Bank Holidays bookend the month, do mark the 2nd and
30th for something other than DIY this year.
If all this vibrancy is not enough, Kemptown Carnival returns on
June 4th. Enjoy!
For more info on the Festival see www.brightonfestival.org
Steve Rust
Brighton Dad
Dedicated follower of fashion
V
ictoria Beckham once stated that: “Fashion is important”. It
wasn’t a statement I paid too much heed to. I have many
priorities in my life, but ‘fashion’ is not up there with say
‘eating’. In fact it’s not even up there with ‘mowing the lawn’. My
lovely wife on the other hand regards fashion as ‘important’ and
takes an avid interest in it. For example, three days ago she bought
a bikini online. In March! She said, “I’m going to wear it when we
go to America next month”.
I was shocked to see that not only was this (very small) bikini
roughly the same price as my first car, that there was an exorbitant
shipping cost from America. Yes that’s right. The bikini is travelling
across the Atlantic, to go in a suitcase and be taken back across the
Atlantic three weeks later: “Couldn’t you have bought it when we
William Mills
Greenfingers
The perils of growing
ince starting my Greenfingers column four years ago, we
have published details of over thirty different varieties of
plants. It would be useful to look back and consider which
plants were the most satisfying to own and care for. What are
we really looking for from the plants we share our homes with?
My plants fall into two specific categories: fragrant flowering
varieties, which require constant attention and those which can
be placed in a particular corner and left to get on with it.
The latter include evergreens and clean air favourites, such as
spider plants and Dracaena, as well as cacti and succulents.The
flowering plants which I have enjoyed growing are whose scent
has the ability to lift our moods. These are used in aromatherapy
by commercial growers harvesting millions of flowers, who press
them to extract tiny amounts of volatile oils, which when
evaporated in a fragrance oil burner smell the same as the
flowers do on a summer’s morning.
S
My top three are rose, citrus, and jasmine, and we have
experienced different results from trying to grow them. Rose is the
most difficult as it is not really an indoor plant and their
fragrance is so faint it’s difficult to notice. Buying a Jasmine is
probably the easiest way to create the heaven of a room filled
with fresh flower scent. They usually cost under £10 from garden
centres and florists. they display a multitude of small white
flowers, which when open give off a rich perfume.
However Jasmine’s drawback is the early spring flowering
season is soon over and as a plant they fare better outside.
Citrus have taken up much of my time and energies over the
years. Here we have all three of the requirements of the perfect
plant-edible fruit, long lasting, and continuous flowering. If only it
was that easy! Many nurseries swear that it is, yet Citrus have a
horrid habit of dying if their living conditions aren’t right. It does
takes care and practice to get their habitat just right but once
achieved nothing beats them.
For more information and a full library of our past articles:
www.the-news.co/index.php/category/gardening/
got there?” I asked. This got me the standard ‘look’ that I’ve come to
dread, but worse than that, it got me a ‘lecture’ which went like this:
“You should consider yourself lucky that you’ve got a wife who takes
pride in her appearance. You‘ve owned that t-shirt for about seven
years now, and in fact all your clothes have turned the same colour
as you haven’t bought any new ones for ages”.
I thought about this and realised she was right, so in order to keep
the peace I went shopping. First I went to TopMan. When I walked
in, the staff gave me a look which said: “Clearly you must be some
sort of workman and have entered our shop to fix something”. I
walked out. I then found myself in an extremely expensive shop in
Churchill Square. I only ventured in there because it was very dark
and had armchairs at the front. I thought it might be some sort of
bar. It wasn’t.
I ended up buying a few new items and showed them to my wife.
She looked and said: “You’ve just bought new versions of all the
stuff you already have, that’s really unimaginative”. This made me
cross: “Well you’re unimaginative” I replied, then kicked myself at
the unimaginativeness of my response. Anyway we’ve decided that
I’ll get some new clothes in America. We’re going to Texas, and
hopefully my wife will choose me some things. If it was left to me I’d
buy the first things I saw, and you’d see me strutting round Brighton
in full cowboy hat, boots and spurs!
Grumpy Old Git
World of the wars
Achtung Baby!
A
little while ago I was, as usual, engaged in my
never-ending charity work. This consists of trawling
round various charity shops for books. (Marie
Curie, Age Concern, you name it.
I spread my good deeds far and wide.) I was very
pleased to find in one of them two hardback omnibus
editions of the old Commando War Picture Library
Magazines. These were, as the name suggests, illustrated
war stories of a slightly jingoistic nature.
Now, some time ago I wrote about how I’d picked up a
fair few German words
and phrases from these
magazines when I was younger.
Of course, as I got older and
started going to Germany and
Austria on a regular basis I
found that this was, to say the
least, a bit redundant. There
seemed little call for my ability
to recognise a minefield. In the
stories these were always clearly
signposted. (‘Achtung! Der
Minen!’) Quite why they did this
Steve Parry
City plan
Lack of Council funding for St James Street
O
n Thursday 24 March our elected representatives agreed a
City Plan. This may sound mundane and irrelevant to our
daily lives but it determines the money that is spent in St
James’ Street and Kemp Town over the next few years. I doubt if
there is anyone, whatever their political views, who would question
the need to reduce pollution, especially from traffic congestion, in St
James’ Street. I have yet to speak to anyone who believes that our
geographical area and social community is not central to the
attractiveness of Brighton for visitors from elsewhere. Yet we are
ignored in terms of planning and investment.
Our local councillors appear to have no idea of what is required
and have not made one single contribution to the discussion on the
City Plan that would benefit St James’ Street and Kemp Town.
Investment in transport was also agreed by the Council last week
yet, again, we are ignored. I challenge our councillors to say what
they have done or even said that benefits our area. Judging from
comments on the St James’ Street and Kemptown Facebook
Community Page councillors do not even deal adequately with
simple requests to ensure security on scaffolding or any form of
support for residents having to deal with the Kafkaesque
bureaucracy of housing and Council Tax Benefits, never mind
Discretionary Housing Payments and the exploitation of council
property leaseholders.
I don’t know, since there seems little point in spending all that time
and trouble laying a minefield then putting a sign up warning the
enemy so they can cunningly sneak round the side.
Likewise, I found conversations with German barmen very limited
armed only with the phrases; “All is good” and “Entry forbidden.”
Anyway, back to the books. Upon re-reading
them I discovered something else that I’d
completely forgotten; the Wehrmacht
were very bad at spelling. To take
just one example, a small unit of
Germans have foolishly camped
at the base of a cliff. I say
foolishly because on top of
the cliff are a band of British
Commandos setting fire to a
lorry-load of explosives,
preparatory to shoving it over
the edge. The next panel
shows German troops running
in all directions as the blazing
truck comes plummeting towards
them. “Gott in Himmel” they shriek,
and “Donner und blitzen!” I don’t
know about you, but I think in these
circumstances I would be using rather more
colourful language than ‘God in Heaven!’ and ‘Thunder and
lightning!’
Mind you, in these books the Germans had the vocabulary of
Cicero compared to the poor old Italians. The only expression of
dismay at being in the midst of a huge conflagration they ever used
was ‘Sapristi!’ And I don’t even know what that means. Anyway, I
hope all this encourages you to buy these books if you come across
them and be glad that in this 21st Century we don’t have to worry
about World Wars anymore.
Councillors Adrian Morris, Karen Barford, and Daniel Chapmen
please do something or go the way that Stephanie Powell and
Geoffrey Bowden went who, also believed, PR would hide any lack
of real action.
We, St James’ Street and Kemp Town COMMUNITY are
mentioned in the City Plan as a “District Centre” for shopping but
nothing else. Is this good enough? I must emphasise that we are the
only significant area in the city not included in the present Plan
covering the period up to 2030.
Our Community is thriving, it is vibrant, and is central to the
appeal of Brighton for visitors from throughout the UK and beyond,
yet our councillors and Council officers do nothing to ensure the
economic and social viability of our community.
I must repeat what I said over 2 years ago, It is our fault we
have reached this situation - a total lack of solidarity and
organisation - together with an abysmal record by our local
councillors (not just the present incumbents but those from other
parties in the past). I also am concerned as to the role of some
senior officers as, despite not being a conspiracist, I often feel there
are some who oppose the presence and significance of our
cosmopolitan (and) Gay Village.
PCSOs’ Update
Eva Collins reports from your local area
W
elcome to your monthly eWatch newsletter. We aim to
keep you informed about current issues in your area. If
you know of anyone that would
like to be added to the scheme, please
get them to send me an email.
If you wish to discuss local policing
issues you can email me directly on:
eva.collins.01@sussex.pnn.police.uk
To report an emergency call - 999
To report a non-emergency call -101
Remember, you can also visit our
website at www.sussex.police.uk
where you can check local crime
information and find out about events
taking place in your area.
Local priorities – St James Street
1. Cycling Offences.
2. Begging, street drinking and rough
sleepers.
3. Drug dealing and drug use.
POLICE ADVICE:
Protect yourself
Walk confidently and be aware of your
surroundings.
Avoid using personal music player or mobile
phones.
If carrying a bag, wear it with the flap facing you
and with the strap over your arm and head.
Never leave a club or pub alone and always let
people know where you are. Make travel plans
beforehand and try to arrange a lift from someone
you know.
Have a taxi number to hand and try to use prebooked
taxis rather than hailing one. Always sit in
the back, behind the driver.
On public transport, sit close to the driver or guard
and also near to CCTV. Avoid empty areas and if
you feel unsafe contact a member of staff.
If you have no choice but to walk, never walk along
PC Leahy and PC Welsh are our Police Constables who work
within the Kemptown team, if you wish to speak with either you can
contact them on:
PC Andrea Leahy
Andrea.leahy@sussex.pnn.police.uk / 07823551769
PC Elaine Welsh
Elaine.welsh@sussex.pnn.police.uk / 07766205049
Non Emergency contact number - 101
Follow the local Policing team and LGBT team on twitter:
@kemptownpolice @PoliceLGBT
The Police LGBT Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/brightonlgbtpolice
PCSO Eva Collins 32168
Tel: 101 ext 550154
Mobile: 07912 893224
dark shortcuts and always face oncoming traffic.
Protect your car
Park in a well-lit, busy area and ensure you close your car
windows, lock the doors and use a steering lock.
Never leave valuables in your car. The glove compartment is
likely to be the first place thieves will look. The cost of replacing
a smashed window can often cost more than the
valuables themselves.
Park somewhere that you will feel safe walking
back to, remembering that it gets darker much
earlier during winter months.
Keep purchases out of sight when in the car or
at home - if they can be seen they can be
stolen.
Leave your keys in a secure place. Keys can
remain visible in a coat pocket or open bag
are easily snatched from them.
Protect your home
Ensure doors and windows are locked at all
times and remember to use your alarm if you
have one.
Keys, money and phones are a burglar's
dream. Keep all such items well out of sight and
reach of doors, windows and letterboxes.
Intruders use rods to reach bags and keys and use
them to enter your home with ease. In one third of
burglaries, the thief didn't have to force entry into the home.
If you like to display your Christmas tree in your window
remember to keep the presents
away from prying eyes. Just like
anyone else, thieves like to window
shop before obtaining their goods.
Make your home look occupied by
using timer switches on your lights
and radios so people think you are
in. If you don't have them, ask your
neighbours to keep an eye on your
home and draw your curtains if you
are away.
Dispose of packaging carefully.
Empty boxes awaiting collection
and bins full of packaging are a
perfect advert for burglars.
Be wary of anyone offering you
high price goods at a cut down
price, they could be stolen items.
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