Like the rest of South Africa, residents of Hazyview also grow increasingly concerned about crime and how to avoid falling victim to it. Mr Joos van der Merwe of Spes-Plan Security shared the company’s statistics and a few tips on how to increase your security.
Thirty per cent of Spes-Plan’s clients are in the tourism industry, such as guest houses, resorts, hotels and tourist transport, while the rest are residents and businesses. Van der Merwe says in the first half of 2014, crime decreased by around 45 per cent on average, compared with 2013. This was ascribed to a number of arrests made by the company and the police, as well as the successful convictions that followed.
During the second half of 2014, crime picked up again by 15 per cent, compared with the previous year. The company says it’s difficult to attribute a specific cause to this, but believe that it might have been due to a notorious burglar (and instigator of burglaries and robberies) who was set free. The man was arrested again in January and Spes-Plan has seen a decrease in burglaries among guest houses and resorts.
Last year, the most prevalent crimes were attempted robberies (30 per cent), theft (28,76 per cent), burglaries (21,9 per cent), armed robbery (8,6 per cent), robbery (3,4 per cent) and assault (1,7 per cent).
In light of all the burglaries and theft, Van der Merwe recommends that residents place movement sensors on the outside of their houses, in addition to burglar alarm sensors on the inside. They have to be high enough that animals will not active them. A loud alarm siren inside and burglary bars are also good measures. The alarm will go off as burglars approach the house and getting past the burglar bars will take some time. This will ensure they have less time for the burglary before armed reaction arrives. These measures will make your home less attractive and stop a large number of criminals from even attempting a burglary.
Sliding doors are a frequent and easy entry point. As such, a chain sliding-lock between the door and the frame should be installed on the side of the normal lock and a sturdy deadlock at the bottom of the door. To prevent the door from being lifted from its bottom sliding rail, install platelets with screws or pop rivets into the frame above the door to close the gap burglars exploit.
As burglars are mostly interested in electronic equipment like cellphones, laptops, flat-screen TV, cameras and smaller items like wallets, purses and bags, these should not be visible from the outside. Van der Merwe urges residents to keep these items out of sight, especially at night and to lock the flat-screen TV in a neat and sturdy steel frame bolted into the wall.
Make sure there are shrubs large enough for a criminal to hide in near windows or doors. Use shrubs with thorns as a cheap deterrant.
Make sure all tools and equipment like chairs, ladders and boxes that can be used in a burglary are securely locked away.
A barking dog is always a good deterrent. Just make sure to teach them not to accept food from strangers, as burglars hide poison in food to incapacitate animals.
Lastly, frequently change your routine, as burglars watch a house for up to two weeks before a break-in.
