THE most romantic time of the year is just around the corner and homeowners are being encouraged to extend that care and attention to their homes.

West Mercia Police is opening a one-stop shop to help householders protect themselves and their property from crime.

The Love Your Home shop will open for one week from next Tuesday at Worcester's CrownGate Shopping Centre, where people can get advice from officers on crime prevention, pick up crime-fighting freebies and learn about services such as property marking and the Immobilise website, where people can register valuable items for free.

Representatives from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Neighbourhood Watch, Safer Worcester, Worcestershire Regulatory Services, the Safer Roads Partnership, health workers and other agencies will also be in the shop throughout the week.

People also have the chance to win a Kindle e-reader by entering a crime reduction competition.

Inspector Janet Heritage, who leads local policing in Worcester, said: “This is the third year the Love Your Home shop has been set up after thousands of people visited over the last two years.

“It is a fabulous opportunity for people to come along and learn how to protect their property with all of the information they need all under one roof.

“This can include marking their possessions to tips on how to keep valuables as secure as possible, both inside and outside their homes. This can be anything from a push-bike to a games console or jewellery.

“We are also really pleased that other agencies are joining us again to ensure as much advice is on hand as possible for those who drop in.

I"West Mercia Police is extremely grateful to CrownGate for generously letting use one of their vacant shops once again."

Crime risk manager for south Worcestershire, Mike Stephenson, said: "This is a great opportunity for people to learn that very simple steps can be taken to protect their home and their property.

"People will still be enjoying their Christmas presents and may not realise the combined value can be quite considerable and that these steps can protect them from losing them to criminals."

CrownGate shopping centre's manager Erica Burlace said: "We are pleased to welcome the Love Your Home team back to the centre for a third year because we feel it offers some very valuable and important safety advice for the local community."

The Love Your Home shop is situated opposite Mothercare and will be open until Saturday, February 16, from 10am to 4pm daily.

For more about property marking and Immobilise visit westmercia.police.uk/ and follow the security marking link.