ENFORCE Security private investigators are urging upper Highway residents to secure their homes with additional measures to combat the spike of crime in the area.
Basic alarm systems, although necessary, are no longer enough as house robberies and break-ins continue.
Investigators are currently probing the crime spike, often holding overnight operations in various areas. However, they are urging residents to assist in reducing crime and their chances of becoming victims by taking extra precautions and layering their home security for added protection.
Enforce director, Anthony Feuilherade, said gate derailings were still a common method of breaking into homes, and that those with electric gates needed to fit anti-derailing devices, such as anti-lift brackets and industrial magnetic devices, which can take impact of up to eight tons.
These, he said, would protect residents against derailments by both vehicles and suspects who lift them off the rails.
Detectors linked to the home alarm system should also be fitted in order to warn residents that their gates are being tampered with.
“Those suspects who break into homes will either come on foot or with a vehicle. Those who use vehicles are able to steal bigger items such as TVs, while those on foot will only take what they can carry.
“Once they have stolen the property they then contact an accomplice to meet them at a specific point, either for handover of the goods or for transport. Such accomplices often make use of minibus-type vehicles,” said Feuilherade.
He also encouraged residents in the upper Highway area to fit external alarm beams to warn of intrusion onto their properties, particularly at night and during load shedding.
“It still concerns us that many residents do not arm their home alarm systems regularly. If they are inside their homes at night, and even during the night while they sleep, external beams should still be activated.
“We also encourage residents to arm as many of their internal zones as possible, simply bypassing those which they know they will trigger during the night, such as bedrooms and bathroom areas.
“Even if residents were just ‘popping out to the shop quickly’, they should still arm their alarms, he said.
Feuilherade said it only takes a few minutes for a house-breaker to get into a home, and if they are operating in a group and have their own vehicle, they are able to make off with most valuables, including bigger items such as TVs and other electronic equipment, in just a few minutes.
“Residents needed to be more proactive with their home security measures and not only take precautions after becoming victims,” he added.
