In the current economic climate it saddens me to say property crime is a hot topic.  Many crime analysts are predicting a rise in street robberies, theft from motor vehicle and dwelling burglaries as a means for criminals to make some quick cash.  The objects they desire tend to be small portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, iPod’s, laptop computers, satellite navigation systems and some audio visual equipment such as DVD players etc…

These items are relatively easy to sell on for cash with typical values as £40 for a working sat nav or mobile phone.  There are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself from a being a victim of crime.

Be aware of your surroundings.  Using your brand new all singing and dancing mobile that’s lights up like a Christmas tree in a crowded pub is going to draw attention to yourself.  Be discreet, consider using the vibrate function rather than a loud ring tone.  People will be unaware of where your phone is as they will not hear it ring.  If you do need to use your phone try to use in an area where people can not monitor what phone it is, where you are keeping it etc…  When paying for items try not to flash your cash around, and do not draw attention to where you keep your money.  If paying by card always remember to hide your pin and hide the card number from prying eyes.

Store items out of sight.  It may be common sense but do not leave items in view particularly in your vehicle.  Also be aware when exiting your vehicle people may be watching and may see you placing your laptop in the boot.  If you use a satellite navigation system be aware criminals will look for suction marks on the windscreen for evidence of a satellite navigation system.  These can be removed by using baby wipes.  Or consider investing in satellite navigation system holder that attached to air vents and does not leave suction marks, but remember to remove the holder and satellite navigation system when you leave the vehicle.  Criminals will often target vehicles left for long periods of time such as airport car parks and theme park car parks.  Remove all valuable items as they will break and enter checking glove boxes, under seats and in the boot.  Some people leave glove boxes open to prove no valuable items have been left there.

Don’t give things away.  Most modern satellite navigation system devices have a location for you to store your home address allowing for quick navigation home.  I would encourage you not to enter this information as this gives the criminal the advantage of a possibly unoccupied address to break and enter, especially if they have stolen the satellite navigation system from a car left in the airport car park.  Ask neighbours you trust to keep an eye on your house while you are away.  Cancel the milk and papers.  Set timers on lights.  Ask a friend to park their car in your drive occasionally.

How secure is your home?  When assessing the risk to your home pretend you are a burglar.  Think outside of the box of ways to break into a house.  Are all your windows lockable? Remember to remove the keys from the lock.  Use curtains to distort the view of what you have inside.  Letter boxes can be entry points, consider fitting a box to stop fishing devices (used for key thefts) or small hands reaching in to open doors.

Finally the best advice is make sure you have insurance to cover your home contents, car and car contents, and contents away from home.  Also consider registering your high risk items on UK National Property Register.  This is used by the Police and partner agencies to re-unite stolen property with their owners.

In an emergency always dial 999

An emergency is defined as:

• Someone’s life is in danger;
• Someone is at risk of violence, or property is about to be damaged;
• A serious offence is in progress;
• A suspect is at the scene or an early arrest is likely;
• Serious disruption to the public is likely
• Very serious crime (e.g. Rape, GBH)

If you have information on a crime you can call anonymously CrimeStoppers 0800 555 111

This is very short article to check you are drinking enough, especially now we are into the summer and people are jetting off to hot climates.  The human body is made up of about 60-70% water, and to remain healthy you must keep this balance.  An average person needs to drink 1.5 – 2 litres a day to reamin in balance.

Your body is very clever at telling you are dehydrated by using colour.  Using the chart below have a look at your urine next time you go to the toilet.  If it is a similar colour to the top 3 circles you are hydrated and doing fine, if it is similar colour to the bottom 3 circles you are de-hydrated and need more water!  Remember such drinks as Tea and Cola are Diuretics and will force excretion of liquid from the body.  If your urine is any other colour such as red then seek medical advice…

Loud snoring is actually quite common and affects large numbers of men and women.  45% of adults snore occasionally, while 25% are considered habitual snorers.  Medically snoring is the noise created by the walls of the throat vibrating during breathing.  This usually caused by the airway being partly obstructed due to one of the following:

Excessive muscle relaxation in throat.   One of the largest causes is alcohol as it is a muscle relaxant, also some sleeping pills may cause this too.  The aging process does take it’s toll on muscles too.

Excessive throat tissue.  A common area for fat build up on people who are overweight is around the throat area, this can restrict the airway causing snoring.

Nasal Airways obstructed.  People with colds, sinus infections or allergy sufferers can all have obstructed airways.  Nasal polyps can also be present and your GP can deal with these.

Best way to help snoring is, moderate your alcohol intake especially before bed, loose weight and if you are still getting problems consult with your GP (and buy your partner some ear plugs or sleep on the couch, or even the garage if it’s that loud!).

There are two important items of your outfit that will be noticed immediately on a first meeting, your shoes and your watch. The watch you wear is a subtle statement of who you are and what you get up to. That’s why it is important to have more than one watch in your top drawer, ready for every occasion.

These are what the top watch brands say about the men who wear them…

Breitling. The Breitling oozes engineering professionalism but don’t worry if you can’t put spare wheel on your Bentley. Wear a Breitling and your friends will think you build monster V12 engines in your garage that powers it. Breitling worked with the aviation industry in the early 20th century, inventing the circular slide rule chrono-meter and supplying pilots worldwide. That makes this brand for plane and car enthusiasts, master engineers, astronauts and of course Antony Worral-Thomson.

Cartier. This brand is for the dinner party host prefers to make their own hollandaise sauce rather than popping down to M&S. The Inventor Jacques Cartier lived life to excess even famously daring to combine steel and gold in a watch in 1978, so outrageous it worked! Then for art in 1983 the artist César proceeded to crush fake Cartier’s with a steamroller. True Style!

Omega. The Omega brands emit a very understated confidence dating back to the early jetsetters of Cannes, Marbella, Monaco and Rio. It is an excellent choice for top executives and James Bond alike. Omega has been the time keeper for many Olympic Games and also the only watch that has been worn on the Moon.

RADO. This brand is a bit of a left side punt for well educated pros. RADO has it’s own niche by combining such items as black Titanium bracelets with Liquid gold LCD’s. Just watch out if you have hairy arms as the bracelets are unforgiving. Best for combining with your black suit while you sip martinis in an exquisite wine bar up town.

Rolex. The daddy of all flash watches, what more can I say? Lottery winners and millionaire business men love a bit of Rolex. It is a statement that the wearer is quite happy with their amassed pile of dosh and is very willing to tell you all about it. But it’s quite alright you see as Rolex invented the very first perpetual movement in it’s waterproof oyster case. This separates Rolex into a different league in the watch world, remaining completely independent of other watch makers. Buy a fake and you will regret it, buy a real one and you will have many friends and admirers.

Seiko. A Seiko watch is the Lucozade of watches, projecting energy into its wearer who could be a personal trainer, martial arts instructor or even “The Man Who Knows”. (Yes I wear a Seiko!). As a brand Seiko is obsessed with quartz technology; and it also seems they have an obsession with bright orange second hands on jet-black dials if their Sportura range is anything to go by! Seiko watches belong to the future, but the best thing is we have them today…

TAG Heuer. A typical TAG wearer is a pair of safe hands who likes to travel fast, but be aware they may do something risky at any point! TAG has always been closely linked to motorsport, in fact it is the sponsor of a major Formula 1 team. And who can forget the classic Monaco Chronograph as worn by Steve McQueen in the film “Le Mans”. Get a TAG and you can imagine your Ford Focus is a Formula 1 car, just don’t send your speeding fines to me.