OUMH1303 ENGLISH FOR ORAL COMMUNICATION

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

MAY 2015

OUMH1303

ENGLISH FOR ORAL COMMUNICATION

MATRICULATION NO: 941209147228001IDENTITY CARD NO.: 941209-14-7228TELEPHONE NO.: 011-26354292E-MAIL : anushachristie@yahoo.comLEARNING CENTRE: Sri Rampai

QUESTIONYou are the President at your Residents Association (RA) in Taman Indah. At the last association meeting, many residents expressed their concern about burglaries that often occur in residential areas.

A. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT As a President of RA you wish to speak about this problem and suggest some solutions how to prevent home burglary at the forthcoming meeting. Prepare your speech* on the problem that needs to be addressed; what actions can the members of the association take part and provide some solutions. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. During the last association meeting, many of you had expressed your concern about burglaries that often occur in our residential areas. Until recently, our residential area had been one of the few residential areas in the town to enjoy a zero-crime rate. However, a spate of break-ins and snatch thefts has occurred in our area in the past three months. If we are notvigilant, there could be anupsurgein such incidents. Therefore, in my speech today I would like to outline several measures that can be taken to reduce the number of break-ins in our residential area. There are many steps that you can take to minimize your loss and improve your chances of recovery if a break-in occur. The first step in improving overall security is to take a hard look at the security measures which already in use in your home.

Firstly, we need to do a few alterations to our landscaping that can be enough to put off potential offenders. These intruders look for property where they can get into and out of quickly to avoid getting caught. Their ideal target is a house surrounded by large hedges and shrubs, which hamper visibility from the street and neighbors houses. Therefore, we need to organize a campaign to clean our residential area. All the bushes, shrubs, and trees need to be trim so the doors and windows are visible to neighbors, and from the street. These trimmed landscaping should not provide concealment for criminals and for a double storey house prune the trees so they can't help a thief climb in second floor windows. We also need to place trellises where they can't be used as ladders to gain entry to the upper floors. If a large gauge gravel is placed on the ground near windows and when intruders walking on it and create noise it can become a psychological deterrent. Please do not place river rocks or other items near glass windows or doors because these can be used by the burglar to break glass. You may also plant spiny (thorny) plants along fences and under windows as these plants will discourage even the most nimble intruder. Protecting with spiny plants is as effective as the use of barbed wire, and a lot more attractive. I had outlined some rules which all the houses in our Taman need to be followed and the rules are ground plants (shrubbery and bushes) placed at any of the sidewalks, driveways, doors or gates, should be maintained at a height of not more than three or four feet, ground plants under windows should be maintained at a height that is below the window sill and trees should be trimmed so that the lower branches are more than seven feet off the ground.The next precaution that should be taken is providing a good interior and exterior lighting which is a deterrent to crime. These lighting will help to reduce your risk of becoming a burglary victim and if the proper lights are used correctly it will be the most effective deterrent to criminal activity. Since lighting are important I recommend all the house residents to install lights especially near doors and in the rear of the house, where intruders do most of their work. All sides of your home should be protected be security lighting that is located high out of reach, and is vandal resistant. Lighting in carports and garages is critical and it is best to either leave a light on, have a light on a timer, or have a light connected to a motion sensor. The advantage to this type of light, especially in the back yard, is that the light warns the resident that someone is in their yard. While there is a concern that dogs, cats, or birds will trigger the sensor and cause the lights to come on, if the resident sets the sensitivity of the sensor correctly this will not be a problem. In the front yard, any type of lighting will be effective, as long the lighting pattern covers the entire front and sides of the house. Sensor lighting will be effective, but in more prone to "false alarms" caused by things like people walking down the sidewalk, or children playing. Most timers are inexpensive and can be purchased at most hardware and department stores.

Break-ins often occur when the occupants of a house are not at home especially during festival holidays and this provides opportunity for the burglars. Therefore, I would suggest everyone to install a security alarms in their house as these systems are great tools for preventing burglaries. An estimated 17.5 percent of U.S. households have them and this proves burglar alarms have become quite prevalent. Although burglar alarms have a high rate of false alerts perhaps as much as 95 percent but this alarms are often recommended for crime prevention. Most studies of burglars indicate that many will avoid residences with alarms, but alarm effectiveness has not been well evaluated. The National Crime Prevention Institute also recommends installing alarms, and some insurance companies offer urban policyholders discounts for doing so. If most residences in an area have alarms, burglars may tend to avoid the area. Even if a burglar tackles an alarm, its presence may cause him or her to be hasty and maybe they may burglars steal less property from houses with alarms. There are many quality alarm systems are available on the market. Thus, before you purchase a security system, you should have in mind what kind of system you want and this will prevent buying more equipment than you actually need. You need to read as much about different brands and types of systems as you can and talk to friends and neighbors that have alarm systems. I recommend that you speak to at least three security companies about their product and service prior to purchasing any alarm system.

I would like to suggest to all the residents to increase the vulnerability of their houses' security as this can reduce victimization. Home security surveys or target hardening assessments may prevent burglaries, but these are often requested by everyone at the lowest risk for burglary. Even then, we are unlikely to fully comply with all crime prevention advice. Those whose houses have been burglarized or who live near a burglary victim are most likely to follow such advice. Security assessments typically include target-hardening advice related to locks, windows and doors. Importantly, such advice provided immediately after a burglary and also helps the victim secure the break-in point, to deter a repeat offense. Burglary of houses target-hardening makes getting into houses more difficult for burglars, and includes installing the following such as sturdy doors with dead bolts, window locks, rather than latches, doublepane, storm or divided light windows, or laminated glass that is forced-entry resistant, pin locks on windows and sliding glass doors; and sliding glass door channel locks or slide bolts. Generally, moderate lock security should suffice, as there is no evidence that more elaborate lock security reduces burglary. Door security may be influenced as much by the door's sturdiness as by its lock. Regardless, residents should use, rather than simply install, security devices. Some residents install bars and grills on windows and doors, but the aesthetic costs deter many residents from doing so. Installing them may violate building codes and pose a safety threat by blocking fire exits. If target-hardening is too expensive, corporate sponsors may be solicited to fund it.

The next precaution is alley-gating which the installation of security gates across footpath and alleyways, it is a form of situational crime prevention that attempts to reduce the opportunity to commit crimes such as domestic burglary. When installed and properly used, alley-gates should control access to vulnerable target areas usually paths or alleys at the rear and to the sides of houses. Although there are good reasons for thinking that alley-gates should reduce burglary, there is as yet little hard evidence that they do. One of the first steps that should be taken when starting an alley-gating scheme is to establish a team who will oversee the consultation process with local residents and homeowners. The evaluation found that using a Home Watch or Residents group already formed in the area helped to accelerate this process. Meetings with homeowners and residents to explain the scheme and its intended outcomes were important people are more likely to volunteer for a cause that they know will benefit them directly. Obtaining legal consent from homeowners and in planning gates that will close access to alleyways, there is a legal duty of care to conduct a comprehensive consultation with all homeowners and residents who will be affected by the gates, and to secure written consent from them. The consultation process may take some time to complete. The project workers had to visit home-owners on several occasions (during the day and evening, as well as over the weekend) in order to provide them with the necessary information about the gates, and attempting to convince them of the benefits installing the gates could provide them. One of the main obstacles found to hinder the progress of installing alley-gates is the inability to identify the landlords and/or homeowners of the properties that will be affected by the gates. Even if these individuals are identified, it may not be easy to contact them. Where properties are privately rented, the landlord may not be living in the house and in many situations, may not be living in the same city or country as the property. The tenants of these properties may not feel that they can give permission for the gates to be installed without first contacting the landlord. It may therefore be necessary to undertake a time-consuming process of tracking down the landlord before installation can begin.

Moreover, by establishing a Neighborhood Watch Programme it may also help us reducing crime in our residential area. This programme initially was developed in response of requests from police chiefs who were looking for a crime prevention program that would involve citizens and address an increasing number of burglaries. Neighborhood Watch counts on citizens to organize themselves and work with law enforcement to keep a trained eye and ear on their communities, while demonstrating their presence at all times of day and night. These programme help us to be the additional eyes and ears which the police can count on to make Taman Indah a safe place to live and work. Neighborhood Watch may provide us a lot benefits such as to promote a friendly and safer neighborhood environment while respecting the privacy and rights of all citizens and to encourage awareness and provide improved communication among neighbors. These citizens on patrol need to patrol the residential area on a regular basis which is usually in 4-8 hour shifts. In addition, these volunteers are more familiar with our community and are able to recognize "suspicious" activity and notify the authorities. Therefore, for an average size Citizen Patrol group we need at least 30 to 40 members and also we need to provide a budget savings of several thousand dollars a year in order for them to perform these duties. Once we decided to start a Neighborhood Watch, we have to hold an initial Neighborhood Watch meeting and contact our local police department to notify them of our interest to start a Neighborhood Watch. Neighborhood Watch programs have not proved to be particularly effective at reducing residential burglary. NW effectiveness can be enhanced by offering introduction kits to vulnerable new residents; publicizing the program, including posting stickers on windows or doors, and/or signs on residents' properties or in the neighborhood; educating residents through door-to-door campaigns; marking property; conducting security assessments; and keeping residents informed about crime trends. "Cocoon watches" are a variant of NW. Neighbors living near recently burglarized houses are asked to be particularly alert. This close set of neighborsusually, about half a dozenform a virtual cocoon around the house, increasing the likelihood of detecting a burglar who returns to strike again. Many NW programs include marking participants' property and assessing their home security to harden targets

Burglary and theft from residential premises impose a significant cost upon the community. The experience of being burgled can be a very traumatic one for victims who may be left feeling angry, violated and unsafe in their own home. Most burglaries occur during daylight hours, when homes are often vacant. However, it is essential to ensure that your home is secure at all times, day and night. Neighbors can play a key role in preventing home thefts because they are your first line of defence against crime. Homeowners on friendly terms with their neighbors are less likely to be victimized by other members of their community. At the same time, closely knit neighbors are more likely to call the police if they see someone suspicious poking around your property. If they like you and they care about you and they are concerned about their community, then if they see something unusual going on then they will check it out or call the police. So don't be a hermit and get out and interact with your neighbors and you may ask them to keep an eye on your home when you are out or on holiday. These are some of the ways to prevent burglaries in your home. If you have not taken any of these measures, then perhaps you should do so now. It is always 'better to be late than never.' Therefore, we will implement a campaign to clean our residential to be free of crime, introduce a neighbourhood with the collaboration of all the residents of Taman Indah and lastly installing an alley gating system throughout our residential area. As for our own good you may discuss with yoyr family members to install a timer lighting and security alarm. All this may accomplish with the collaboration all the residents of Taman Indah