WHILE the sun still shines brightly in Durban during the winter months, it’s important to be extra vigilant during the longer dark nights and early mornings.
Blue Security operations director Henk van Bemmelen said the company’s crime statistics revealed that hijackers and robbers often strike during the early morning and in the evening as people arrive and depart from their homes and workplaces.
“These vulnerable times of the day are even more so now that winter is swiftly approaching and it is getting darker much earlier and the sun is rising later. People need to be on their guard at these times as criminals love to operate under the cloak of darkness as they hope that there is less risk of them being detected,” van Bemmelen said.
He said health conscious people who like to jog and walk in the mornings and evenings also need to be vigilant.
“We have already had an incident reported last week where a jogger was robbed of his gun while running in the early morning,” he said.
Van Bemmelen urged residents and motorists to be security conscious and develop the good habit of observing the activities going on in their neighbourhood.
“If you are out walking or approaching your driveway take note of the other people loitering or walking around the area. If you sense that there is something suspicious about an individual or group of people approaching you, look them in the eye and drive around the block or confidently cross the street,” van Bemmelen said.
He said it was also advisable for women not to walk alone after dark and to carry pepper spray or have their keys handy to use in self defence.
Van Bemmelen said Blue Security’s reaction officers across the city were always on alert for suspicious activity.
“We encourage residents to report any suspicious activity in their suburbs to both the police and their security company rather than confronting intruders or other suspects on their own,” van Bemmelen said.
He added that residents should ensure their properties had sufficient external lighting and cut back any overgrown bushes that could provide hiding places to intruders.
