Open windows and doors, parking up at a country park to enjoy a long, lazy picnic and a great night out with friends – all play a part in the perfect summer.

But, there’s another way of putting it…

Burglary, theft from vehicles and staying safe when you’re out with your friends – all play a part in the not so perfect summer.

Targeting specific problems

Kent Police’s seasonal campaign Safer Summer has identified three crime categories which research shows are most prevalent at this time of year. 

With your help we can tackle these crimes more effectively.

The initiative which starts on Tuesday 1 July, is aimed at reducing:

• burglaries of people’s homes
• thefts from vehicles (particularly those parked in rural locations and beauty spots)
• anti-social behaviour and violence.

Posters

A series of nine Safer Summer postcards with key messages will be distributed at the Kent Show, summer fairs, fetes and open days, and from mobile police stations. You can also download them through the following links:

• Safer summer and... your property
• Safer summer and... your car
• Safer summer and... socialising
• Safer summer... lessons learned
• Safer summer... crime prevention tips

Operations will be run by neighbourhood officers throughout Kent and Medway, known criminals will be targeted and crime prevention advice will be given to ensure the campaign has a positive impact.

Temporary Superintendent Neil Jerome from Kent Police said: ‘It is vital that we learn from previous years and target the specific problems which have peaked during summertime in the past. A lot of research has been done which has identified burglary, theft from vehicles and staying safe when socialising as the main areas we need to concentrate on.

Working with the community

‘Neighbourhood officers across the county will be focusing on these issues over coming weeks and will be looking to work alongside residents of Kent and Medway to ensure we keep our property and ourselves as safe as possible.’

Advice

Find out more about:

• Protecting your property and protecting yourself
• What to do if you are a victim of crime
• Crime prevention initiatives such as Neighbourhood Watch.
• How to report a crime in France if you're travelling abroad this summer
• how to report a crime, on the telephone, online or at a police station.