Residents can feel safer (From Witney Gazette)
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Residents can feel safer
2:11pm Friday 24th February 2006 in Witney By Andrew Alexander
Pictured, left to right, are Mr Spencer, John Fitzgerald, of Southern Electric Contracting, and PC Mike Bennett.
ELDERLY residents in Burford can feel safer in their own homes thanks to new security lights intended to prevent distraction burglaries.
Local officer, PC Mike Bennett, and Burford Residents' Association chairman, John Spencer, wanted to install the 40 motion-activated lights, because the town has had problems with the crime for the last several years.
PC Bennett said: "There's a bit of a history of distraction burglaries up here. They're targeting elderly people, because they're more vulnerable, they can't see and hear as well, they can't run after them, and they're more likely to keep money around.
"I wanted to tell them about not letting people in, and also improve their security. We thought the lights would be an easy way of doing that."
The residents association raised some of the money from events including its regular bingo night, and the Upton Signet Trust made a donation. With half the money in place, Southern Electric Contractors the company which installed the lights offered to pick up the remaining half of the bill, while Cottsway Housing Association paid for lights to be installed at the properties it owns.
