Binmen helping battle on burglars

Binmen in the Wyre Forest district are helping to fight crime with a poster campaign on refuse collection trucks.

They will spreading the word about security issues in the hope of preventing people falling victim to burglaries. Refuse vehicles in Wyre Forest are displaying adverts reminding residents to Lock It or Lose It.

The Safe as Houses burglary awareness campaign was launched in April to help crack down on a spate of break-ins and opportunist thefts in the district.

Messages draw attention to the simple mistakes people make, which in turn could make them vulnerable to opportunist burglars.

The adverts can now be seen on refuse vehicles, billboards and telephone kiosks around the district and will be supported by an eight-week long radio advertising campaign on the local Kidderminster-based station 107.2FM The Wyre.

A series of road shows which have offered advice about burglary prevention and property marking have also been staged.

Helen Dyke, chairman of Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership which is behind the campaign, said the number of burglaries in the district had dropped over the past year. But opportunist burglars often come out in the summer, she said.