How can the youth protect themselves from crime?

Preventing crime means minimizing the opportunities for the bad guys to turn you, your loved ones and even your neighbours into victims. Crime prevention is the act of getting involved in protecting property and teaching the youth and people in general how to look after themselves. You may even want to get involved in activities that can create a stronger community bond and help prevent crime.

A recent study shows that the youth, aged between 12 and 17 years are more likely to be victims of crimes than adults! Did you know that most of the crime occurs in school and on the school grounds or at after-school activities AND most of the crimes committed are theft. Unfortunately, most of these thefts are actually never reported to the authorities or even the teachers at school. 

Some of the most popular items that are stolen are electronic devices like cellphones, iPads, electronic devices, tablets and cameras. 

NICRO recommends the following strategies for protecting your personal property:

-- Don’t bring valuables to school. If you don’t absolutely need something during the school day, leave it at home.

-- Avoid calling attention to your valuables. Using cool apps on your smartphone might amuse your lunch buddies, but it can also mean unwanted attention from nearby people who
you don’t know.

-- Never leave your valuables unattended. Most items are stolen because they are left unattended.

-- Secure your locker at all times. Lockers can be broken into easily, especially if they are not properly closed.

-- Protect valuables that you leave in your car. If you drive to school, never leave valuables in plain view inside your car, even if you keep it locked.

The youth experience crime more frequently than any other age groups, in fact, teens and young adults experience the highest rates.

Young people need to learn how to protect themselves and prevent crime from happening!