Evening Telegraph (First Edition)

Demand for safety visits quadruples since launch of campaign

- BY JAMES SIMPSON

ALMOST 150 Dundee residents have made their homes safer in the past three months thanks, in part, to the Tele’s Safe as Houses campaign.

Dundee City Council’s community safety team revealed there has been a large spike in requests for home safety visits since the launch of the drive in January.

Just 18 people had contacted safety wardens at the start of the year asking for extra security measures at their property — before the Evening Telegraph’s Safe as Houses campaign got started.

But by February that number had shot up to 74, as our security tips and stories from past victims of crime began to hit home.

This month already, the community safety team has taken 48 calls form residents wishing to make their home safer.

The team said that they had to order in new window alarms for fear of running out.

The latest call out was to Kenny Goff, a retired bus driver from Ardler who had been following the campaign and decided to arrange a visit from the team.

The safety-conscious 60-year-old had not suffered a break-in himself, but decided to act after reading about the break-in on Bruce Street last month that saw medication stolen from terminally ill George Beath’s home.

As safety warden Billy McGregor fitted shock alarms to Kenny’s windows, Kenny said: “The campaign has certainly made me look at putting in additional safety measures.

“Billy has installed a few window shock alarms to the rear of the property.

“I had put stickers on myself previously to act as a deterrent.

“The noise of these shock alarms would certainly alert people in the surroundin­g area even if I wasn’t home.

“It gives me that additional piece of mind that my home is more secure and acts as deterrent for intruders.

“I’ve lived in the Ardler area for 12 years and there has always been a great community spirit here — the neighbours all look out for one another.”

Billy said: “Since the Safe as Houses campaign has started there’s

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