Things to know about house robberies

A 2016 survey done by Unisa’s School of Criminal Justice looked into understanding and helping to prevent house robberies in South Africa, based on in-depth interviews with numerous criminals.

Fidelity ADT summarised their results in a press release. They found that eight out of 10 residential robberies were committed using information gathered from domestic workers, gardeners and former employees.

ADT’s National Marketing and Communications Manager, Charnel Hattingh, noted that, “This is particularly worrying as residents usually view their domestic staff as a home’s first line of defense, and they play a critical role in security. Homeowners need to be aware of the importance of vetting all staff very carefully. We recommend you use a specialist placement consultancy who can do the necessary background checks.”

Some of the still relevant findings are as follows:

• Robbers may monitor a home for as long as two weeks.

• Most attacks occur between 7pm and midnight when people are relaxed or sleeping.

• Ninety-seven per cent of robbers are armed.

• A robbery group usually consists of about four members.

• The average age of a house robber is 19 to 26 years old.

• An average of 30 per cent of all house robbers have either committed murder or would not hesitate to commit murder.

“We have found that security measures like electric fences, detection beams and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) are still key deterrents to crime, as are pets,” Charnel said.

“How secure your neighbourhood is is also a meaningful factor. If robbers are scouting carefully, they will view regular patrols and a strong neighbourhood watch system as a good reason to move on.”

The press release also noted that it is important that domestic staff always keep security gates and doors locked, with the alarm system armed when leaving the house, even if it is only for a few minutes.