MALALANE – Recent crime statistics have shown that an average of 686 houses are burgled every day and an average of 57 households are robbed.
Although SAPS has recorded a national decrease of 1,2 per cent in house burglaries, people are urged to increase security in their homes.
Here are a few tips to help you safeguard your home:
• Fit all access doors with security gates and instal burglar bars on windows
• Make sure there are objects like telephone posts or trees that suspects can use to jump the fence
• When entering your property, keep a lookout for suspicious individuals and drive away if you feel unsafe
• Change your daily routine to make it more difficult for burglars to know when you’ll be home
• Don’t leave valuable items such as lawnmowers or vehicles outside your house or in the yard for extended periods of time
• Cut away tree branches near the house and keep ladders in a locked shed or room to avoid burglars using them to gain entry
• Make sure your garden is neat and that burglars don’t have thick bushes or shrubs to hide in
• If you can afford it, get an alarm system with outside beams to give you early warning
• Motion sensitive lights can effectively scare off some burglars
• Let your security company know when you’re going on holiday and arrange for them to drive past to check if everything is still in order
• Keep your most valuable items in a hidden safe, bolted to the wall
• Before employing a new domestic worker, gardener or contactor, verify their identity and do a basic reference check
• If your domestic worker or gardener will be home alone, tell them never to give anyone access to the house without your permission or per prior arrangement.
Graham Craggs, a spokesperson for Budget Insurance, stressed the importance of having adequate home contents insurance. “Check that your home contents insurance in up-to-date, that the amount insured is enough to replace everything that was stolen and make sure everything you want insured is on your insurance provider’s inventory list.”
