TOPEKA - The holiday shopping season is here. The Topeka Police Department wants you to have a safe and crime free holiday season but YOU must take the necessary steps to reduce the risk of you being a victim of a crime this holiday season.

Criminals have families too and they feel the same need to provide for them as you do. The problem is that criminals don’t buy their gifts, they steal yours. As soon as you begin your holiday shopping so do the criminals. You can reduce crime by following some very simple steps.

Take the following holiday safety quiz to see the areas where you can improve. Answer either Yes, No or Not Applicable.

TPD HOLIDAY SHOPPING QUIZ:
Do you take a friend or family member with you when you go shopping?
Do you pay for purchases with a check or credit/debit card and avoid carrying large sums of cash?
Do you place packages in the trunk of your car or out-of-sight from potential thieves?
Do you lock the doors and windows of your house, even if you are leaving for just a few minutes?
Do you get your keys out before you approach your parked vehicle?
Do you have a record of all your credit card numbers in a secure place?
Have you instructed your child to contact a store clerk for help if you become separated?
Do you check the identification of all persons delivering packages to your home?
Do you keep gift-wrapped packages out of sight of windows and doors of your home?
When you carry cash while shopping, do you carry it in your front pocket?
If you use an ATM, do you always use one in a secure location such as inside a mall or store?
Do you always park in a well-lighted area?
Do you avoid wearing expensive jewelry or watches while shopping?
Do you avoid parking next to vans, trucks with camper shells or cars with tinted windows?
Do you make sure that you take your purchase or ATM receipts with you, rather than putting them into the trash?
When you use an ATM, do you shield your PIN number from the view of others?
When you leave the house, do you leave a radio or television on so that the house seems occupied?

‘No’ answers are areas for improvement while ‘Yes’ answers are areas you are doing what is necessary to help reduce the risk of crime.

Each week a few Holiday Safety Tips will be featured in a media release to help keep the citizens of Topeka informed and safe.