Law enforcement sees rise in crime during holidays
GOLDEN TRIANGLE REGION, Miss. (WCBI) – 75% of all homes in the country will experience a burglary in 20 years, according to Forbes.
The odds of your home becoming burglarized during the holiday season increase dramatically.
James Myers has seen plenty of burglaries in his tenure as the Chickasaw County sheriff.
He says people usually make several mistakes during the holidays that lead to them becoming a victim.
“We try to tell everybody, you know, don’t put your pictures on Facebook, especially showing your house number or exactly where you live…showing your Christmas tree with all the gifts under it. If you show a lot of gifts under a tree, somebody’s liable to come and try to get ’em when you’re not there,” said Myers.
Sometimes a play from your favorite Christmas movie actually works on real criminals.
“If you can leave a TV on or a radio on, where it sounds like somebody’s at home. If nobody comes to the door and they don’t hear anything inside, they just go around back and kick the door in,” said Myers.
The sheriff warned people to make a list and check it twice.
“Once you find out your house has been broken into and you call your local law enforcement whether you call your local law enforcement whether it be the city police or sheriff’s office, the first things we’re going to ask are a list and serial numbers just make it a lot easier for us to get out and try to find your belongings,” said Myers.
Technology has proven to deter would-be criminals.
A study by Forbes reported that 60% of criminals would consider another target if a security system such as cameras, were in plain sight.
“Camera systems for houses are so cheap now to buy that you can buy them really reasonably. We try to tell everybody if you can afford it, buy you two or three cameras for your house. And it just makes it so much. A whole better for your safety and for us to get a vehicle description or description for somebody,” said Myers.
Remember to contact your local law enforcement if you see any suspicious activity.
You could prevent a crime from happening to you.
