Personal safety at home

Using methods to secure your property will make you safer when you are in your home and make your belongings safer when you are out. But you never know when you might find yourself in situation when your personal safety might be compromised.

• Use only your surname and initials in the telephone directory and on the doorplate. That way a stranger won't know if a man or woman lives at your address
• If other people such as previous tenants could have keys to your house, change the locks. Don't give keys to workmen or tradesmen

Intruders:

• If you think you have an intruder, you will have to make a judgement about what to do in the circumstances. You might not be thinking clearly in a real incident, so think about some of the things you might do to handle the situation
• You may respond differently if you are alone in the house than if there are other people there
• You could make a noise and hope that it scares them off, or keep quiet and hope that they don't come into your room
• Keeping a phone in your bedroom might make you feel safer. You could use it to raise the alarm
• You shouldn't challenge an intruder

Interrupting burglars:

• If you come home and find a broken window or the lights on, there may be a burglar still inside. You may put yourself in danger if you go inside
• You could go to a trusted neighbour or friend's house and call the police, or go to a phone box
• Alternatively, you could ring the doorbell. An intruder is likely to run away if think they may be caught

Abusive phone calls:

• If you get an abusive or threatening phone call, do not respond to it. The caller wants to provoke a strong reaction from you – don't rise to it
• Put the receiver next to the phone and move away. Return some minutes later and hang up
• It's a good idea to keep a record of when you receive these calls. You may notice a pattern
• Dial 1471 to see what number the call came from – this service may be able to tell you the person's phone number, if they did not withhold it
• At night, unplug your phone or turn the ring off, so that you are not disturbed
• Do not give your name or number when you pick up the phone
• Never give out any personal information, e.g. your address, unless you are sure you know who you are speaking to
• If you receive many abusive phone calls, contact your phone company or the police for help

Protecting your phone number:

• If you are worried about too many people knowing your phone number, here's some advice to make sure as few people as possible can access it:
• Go ex-directory – call your phone company to find out about the options available
• Join the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) – the central opt-out register to record your preference not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls, to both home and mobile numbers. It's a legal requirement that organisations don't call numbers registered on TPS, unless they have your consent to do so
• Contact your local electoral roll. Registering is compulsory, but you can choose to appear only in the full list and not on the edited list. Many councils sell the edited list to junk mailers
• Tick boxes on all application/registration forms to stop 3rd parties getting your information