Help to keep your neighbourhood safe

• If you don't already know your neighbours, just put a note in their letterboxes giving your details and offering to help any time they need it.

• Organise a street get-together at a local park or on a front lawn. Good things happen when neighbours get together, and community gatherings are one of the most effective tools in creating a safer neighbourhood.

• Start a local Facebook or WhatsApp group. This is a great way to discuss any issues, share suspicious behaviour in the area, and share safety tips.

• Keeping a neighbourhood clean keeps it safe. Neighbourhood-wide clean up groups are great ways to tidy up the community and bring people together.

• Walk around your local neighbourhood rather than driving and say hello to anyone you meet.

• Hang out in your front garden - you'll meet lots of people as they are walking by.

Look out for each other's properties and belongings:

• If you see that your neighbour's rubbish bins have been left out, move them to a less conspicuous place so it looks like they are at home.

• If you see a neighbour's letterbox is overflowing and you know they are away from home, collect their mail and keep it for them until they get back.

• Research has shown that a well-tended front garden deters crime. Make sure that there are no large trees or bushes that could hide a break in, and if a neighbour's garden is looking a bit overgrown, offer to give them a hand tidying it up.

• Offer to keep an eye on a neighbour's house if they are going away and ask them to do the same for you.

• Delivery services often leave packages outside the front door, so if you see this at a neighbour's place and know that they are out or away, collect the package and leave them a note to say you have it.

If you get to know your neighbours, when they work, whether they are elderly or have small children, you will become a much closer community and be able to look out for each other; and as a bonus, being friendly to neighbours can boost feelings of happiness, belonging, and generosity.