RECENT reports from concerned members of the public have revealed some disturbing news for residents of Uitlander Street in Vryheid.
In the last few weeks, there have been an unprecedented number of break-ins and burglaries in Uitlander Street, as criminals recently appear to have changed their modus operandi to daylight robbery, with the latest in a string of house break-ins taking place at 10 am on Monday morning, February 27.
Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch’s Chris Marais shared some handy tips for residents to protect themselves and their homes from the escalating trend of house break-ins.
What can we learn from break-ins?
“- There is usually a ‘look-out’ outside. There are more people involved than just the ones that you see.
– Gates should be fitted with ‘anti-slide’ as well as ‘anti-lift’ brackets. Gates can still be derailed by pulling the gate sideways off the motor. Combat this with a bracket to reduce the sideways movement between the motor and pillar.
– There is often no time to press the panic button – Most panic signals are only sent after the event. Use layers of security to increase the chance of triggering the alarm, such as a contact on the driveway gate.
– They are [usually] armed and willing to use it. There comes a point when compliance is your best chance at survival.
– They know there are CCTV cameras and will block their faces with caps or by looking away. Don’t rely on CCTV to identify them. CCTV is better as a pro-active tool, like having cameras looking outside at the road.
– They are able to disable common alarm systems with speed and ease – 20 seconds to get into a car! Relying on your car alarm is not enough. Use additional systems such as alarm detectors or parking barriers to slow them down and increase the chance of detection.
– Time is of the essence – By detecting them earlier and making it harder for them to access their target, you cut into their time and increase the chance of them being caught or giving up.”
“Learn from these incidents to better protect yourself.”
