On two separate occasions recently I encountered cases of having active and passive Neighbours.
I attended a booking in the morning where I was asked to remove and replace a old back door lock. My client was kind enough to assist me, as the replacement lock was slightly different in size so I had to use my drill.
Obviously drills make noise and within a few minutes a friendly "Everything OK?" was heard from the next door neighbour.
My client explained what the noise was about and the Neighbour returned to his home.
Now, a few hours later I was at another booking where a gentleman had a storage unit a few metres from his front door and over the past weekend someone had forcefully broken in.
On this occasion again I had to make some modifications and drill some holes.
Whilst the repairs where happening several Neighbours in the block came and went but not one person stop to ask what was going on!?
I found this a strange comparison from my first booking earlier in the day.
Why do some people investigate and others ignore things going on outside their own homes?
Is it fear of confrontation? Maybe it's a lack of confidence or perhaps its a sense of just minding your own business?
Eitherway the two bookings had similarities but different interactions.
I'm a firm believer that if you want your community to be safer, you should be proactive and atleast take a look at what's outside your door. This doesn't necessarily mean confrontation or even leaving your home, but having a look out your window and seeing what's happening can be the different between being burgled or not. Obviously never put yourself at risk if you encounter a burglar trying to break into your neighbours house but do call 999 immediately.
Looking out for your neighbours can really make the different to someone life.
Be a active neighbour!
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