<p>Safety of Elderly Citizens</p>

According to statistical data, the Vitebsk region ranks first in the republic for population aging.

According to statistical data, the Vitebsk region ranks first in the republic for population aging. Currently, the age structure of the region's population continues to shift towards aging. At the same time, the greatest increase in the proportion of older age groups in the republic is observed in the Vitebsk region (the highest median population age in the republic is 41.6).
In this regard, one of the priority areas of service activity for internal affairs bodies is the prevention of offenses against elderly citizens, as well as the implementation of measures aimed at increasing the personal and property security of individuals in this category, including those who are single and live alone, as well as those living with individuals exhibiting antisocial behavior.
In order to strengthen the protection of the elderly from unlawful encroachments and to improve the level of interaction between preventive entities in meeting the requests and needs of this category of citizens, preventive work is being carried out in the settlements of the Lepel district. During preventive work, together with interested preventive entities, elderly citizens living with individuals who are under preventive registration, under preventive observation, or subject to preventive supervision are visited at their place of residence. Preventive conversations are held with them, and, where grounds exist, other measures of individual prevention of offenses and preventive impact are applied. Single elderly citizens and those living alone are also visited at their place of residence.
In January-December 2017, 34 elderly citizens were victims of criminal encroachments in the district.
Every day, we learn about committed crimes from the mass media. But how many of us have considered that our behavior and attitude towards property can provoke an attacker?
An analysis of crimes committed against this category of citizens indicates a careless attitude of elderly people towards both personal and property security.
Thus, in most cases, elderly people become victims of unlawful actions due to their carelessness and excessive credulity (letting strangers into the entrances of residential buildings, inviting into their homes individuals who are only partlyacquaintances, provide financial assistance to strangers, involve barely known or unknown people in providing assistance (apartment repairs, work on a household plot).
In this regard, we would like to remind the elderly about safety measures that will help them not to become victims of crime.
While in the apartment
Do not be overly trusting. Thieves can enter your home disguised as a postman, plumber, acquaintance of your neighbors or relatives. Some criminals ask for a drink, medicine, while others claim they want to return money or pass a note to neighbors and ask for paper or a pen to leave them a note. The pretexts can be very diverse.
Therefore:
be careful when a stranger rings the doorbell, do not rush to open it, use the peephole;
use a security chain to clarify the purpose of the visit, demand to see documents;
maintain good lighting at all times on stair landings, in corridors, at the entrance to the dwelling;
if you live alone, do not inform barely known people about it, do not arrange meetings with strangers at your home;
if someone tries to enter your apartmentif people claiming to be employees of the social protection department, housing and utility services, postal couriers, or other individuals whom you have not summoned, try to enter, demand that they present their documents, then call the relevant organization and clarify whether such an employee works for them and where they should be at the given time. If they refuse to present documents, you should immediately call the police at 102, reporting the features of the offender and the transport they left in;
if the lights suddenly go out in the apartment, you should not immediately go out onto the landing, as criminals may turn off the electricity to lure you out of the apartment.
If you are leaving your home, do not forget to lock the doors, windows, and balcony doors. An intruder can get into your home even through a window.
Remember that one of the effective means of protecting your property located in your home is to equip it with security alarm systems and place it under the protection of the territorial units of the Department of Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.
How not to become a victim of a fraudster
In many cases, offenders offer, including by visiting citizensat your place of residence, to purchase any items, medicines at prices below market value, which are actually worth much less. Therefore:
do not engage in conversation with individuals who offer to remove curses from you;
do not buy household appliances and other goods from strangers off-hand;
do not exchange banknotes with strangers;
under no pretext should you hand over your money to strangers for them to provide services in purchasing an apartment, car, building materials, fuel, food products and other items, for carrying out any work, in order to favourably resolve issues with officials regarding non-prosecution, passing exams, resolving housing issues, etc.;
do not lend large sums of money without proper legal documentation and witnesses.