Stay Safe!
How to avoid hijackings:
• Be vigilant when pulling out of your driveway or coming home – most hijackings occur close to home.
• If you suspect you are being followed, slow down at least two to three houses prior to your home to force the vehicle behind you to pass.
• If you have an electric gate, do not pull into your driveway before opening the gate. Rather open your gate while your car is still on the road to allow a quick getaway if necessary.
• If you do not have an electric gate and your child is in the car, take the ignition key with you as you stop to open the gate. The key is a valuable negotiating tool – the criminals want your car and you want your child.
• Don’t fall for the “tap tap” trap where the driver of another vehicle gently drives into the back of your car in traffic.
Never get out of your car to assess the damage but rather drive to a busy location. Signal to the other driver to follow you. If it is not legitimate they will seldom follow you.
Safety tips to share with your children:
• Make sure your children memorise their full names, address and phone number.
• Using a play phone, teach children when and how to dial 10111.
• Put other emergency numbers on speed dial on your home phone and mobile. Teach your children how to operate the speed dial, explaining when it should be used.
• Always leave a phone number where you can be reached along with numbers for neighbours and emergency services right next to the phone.
• Make sure they realise the importance of speaking clearly and telling the emergency services exactly what is happening.
• Let your children practise operating door and window locks.
• Set a good example by locking doors and windows and checking to see who it is before opening a gate or door.
• Teach them to not reveal on the phone or at the door that no adults are home but to rather say their parents are too busy to come to the phone or door.
• Rehearse the home fire escape plan with your children.
• Teach your children basic first aid such as putting pressure on a bleeding wound and what to do with minor burns.
• Show them how to press the panic button and explain when they should do so.
Hide your keys
In many home thefts, criminals are known for taking vehicles along with the household contents. To prevent this, always ensure your vehicle keys or spare keys are hidden in an unusual place, especially if you’re away on holiday. Although it is convenient, it is best to not have keys on key hooks or counters where they are easily seen, – rather put them out of sight and in a safe place.
Thorns: Consider planting these in areas you don’t want strangers to access. For example, you could plant a thorny shrub underneath your windows so no one can climb through them without getting torn up.
Get to know your neighbours:
Crime tends to be lower in tight-knit communities because neighbours are more likely to look out for each other and can easily spot a stranger. Your neighbours can be one of your best assets in home crime prevention because they offer extra eyes and an outside perspective. Plus if they have a different work or school schedule from yours, they might be around during the day when you’re away and can alert you to any suspicious activity that may occur in your absence.
Install large, reflective numbers on your house and post box. This makes it easier for police to identify your home in the event of an emergency. Burglars prefer dark houses difficult to identify by address as it can buy them crucial spare moments in the event they’re caught in the act.
Minimise risks during a burglary
Crime tends to be lower in tight-knit communities because neighbours are more likely to look out for each other and can easily spot a stranger. Your neighbours can be one of your best assets in home crime prevention because they offer extra eyes and an outside perspective. Plus if they have a different work or school schedule from yours, they might be around during the day when you’re away and can alert you to any suspicious activity that may occur in your absence.
Use dowel rods in sliding glass door tracks
The best way to secure a sliding glass door is to put a dowel rod or something similar on the tracks, and lodge it between the door and the wall.
Move your alarm keypad
Installing a home security system is a fantastic way to deter potential burglars, but it’s not fool-proof. Most alarm pads are placed near common entrances, such as the front or back door. Because these places are so common, burglars know exactly where to look. An observant thief will scope out the place and watch the numbers you enter into the keypad. A would-be burglar can also glance through the window to see if you engaged the alarm system before leaving the house.
Be mindful of who might be able to view your keypad when you arm or disarm it, and move it somewhere out of sight, or at least block the keypad when using it. Another option is to have multiple keypads, one by an entrance and one in the master bedroom in case of a suspected break-in when you need to act fast.
Always secure your gate motor:
• Combine mechanical anti-theft systems, such as traditional theft-resistant cages, with electronic notification devices, for example sound bombs and GSM units which are able to send notifications to users when the device’s inputs are triggered.
• Position infrared safety beams so that the beam runs across the motor. Combine this with the intruder-detection alarms native to many Centurion gate motors to sound an alarm when the beam is broken.
• Place a siren inside the motor enclosure, wire the siren back to the house and place it on the 24-hour zone. Many new alarm systems even offer wireless modules.
• Make use of a good quality lock to secure the motor’s theft-resistant cage. Discus padlocks are not recommended – rather opt for an insurance-rated padlock.
Don’t let people know you are away
For the most part, intruders prefer to avoid confrontation and as a result are more likely to break into a property when no one is home.
If you are going away for a holiday, avoid leaving any tell-tale signs that no one is home, such as uncollected post or newspapers. An unoccupied home will be more vulnerable to possible intrusion. Timers on the lighting inside and outside the home will give the appearance that people are there. Provided it is safe to do so, a car can be parked in the property where it is visible, which will also give the impression that someone is home.
Ensure your panic buttons are installed in accessible areas and that your children can also reach them. Show them where the panic buttons are located and explain how they work, so they are familiar with the process in case of an emergency.
Swimkidz SA: Ensuring the safety of your kids
Established in 2006, Swimkidz aims to make a significant contribution to reducing the number of drowning cases in South Africa and to promote swimming as a sport, by offering professional swimming lessons for beginners to advanced swimmers.
They believe that every child should undergo swimming lessons at an early age – ensuring that they do not become another statistic. Therefore they offer swimming lessons to babies from the age of 6 months up and until adult. Children under the age of 3 are required to be accompanied by a caretaker in the pool.
Thanks to a curriculum that has been developed and refined over 10 years, they have had huge success with their method of teaching.
All lessons are given in an indoor swimming pool inside a custom-designed and specially built structure.
The pools are heated to between 30 and 33 degrees Celsius, making it possible to offer swimming lessons throughout the year. All the pools are domestic-sized in which children feel safer than they would in larger public swimming pools.
At Swimkidz, they do not believe in drown-proofing as they have found there are huge risks involved. ‘There is no such thing as drown-proofing a child.’ They do however, evaluate all swimmers every six months to track their progress and then award them with a certificate.
For more info, visit www.swimkidzsa.co.za or contact them on 081 488 5986.
RNR Auto: Keep your car safe
RNR Auto Sound and Security was founded in 2014. It is a family-run business owned by the Dabhelias. RidwanDabhelias has been working in the motor industry for the last 18 years, moving from doing an apprenticeship at VW to becoming a custom sound installation technician. He has gained valuable experience working in various capacities. He has a love for fixing cars, fitting big bass systems, as well as tuning and tweaking. He can fix anything electrical and will go out of his way to diagnose and a fix a problem.
Furthermore, RNR Auto also specialises in security devices; namely car alarm systems with immobilisers, anti-jacking, central locking, gear locks, pedal locks and smash-and-grab protection. With theft and hijacking on the rise, RNR Auto wants to look out for your peace of mind and the security of your car. No security device will ever be 100 per cent effective, but their devices will assist in deterring criminals looking for easy targets.
Their smash-and-grab tinted windows can prevent criminals looking into your vehicle while you are parked in public spaces, and are much harder to break than ordinary windows.
Car alarms act as early warning systems, alerting you of an intrusion into your vehicle, broken glass or a door being opened. The loud beeping will alert nearby people.
Immobilisers are designed to prevent the engine starting without the alarm going off. Even if criminals manage to get into your car, they will not be able to "hot wire" it and make a quick getaway.
Anti-hijack devices attached to the alarm system cause the engine to cut out after a few seconds and prevent hijackers from getting away with the car. In the event of such a happening, RNR Auto offers a call-out service to rewire and start the car and repair the broken ignition.
It’s important to keep your remote controls for your alarms in good working condition as they are the only way to secure easy access to your car and arm your security devices. RNR Auto aims to provide peace of mind – at a fraction of the normal cost.
Contact them on 011 412 1702 for your free car security assessment.
Mapogo A Mathamaga MD: Where your safety comes first!
The Mapogo team would like to wish all their clients and every member of the community a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
“We would also like to thank you for your continuous support through the year and reassure you that Mapogo will remain as vigilant as ever during this holiday season,” said managing director, Gerald King.
Residents may have noticed Mapogo’s offices undergoing some renovations. They have added additional space which will be dedicated to a CCTV Offsite control room. They promise to deliver only the best service and the best technology available on the market – in both their Armed Response and CCTV divisions.
In doing their part in combating crimes in the area, they will be putting additional patrol vehicles on the road for the festive season and request that all Mapogo clients please contact their offices to ensure all contact details are up to date in case of an emergency.
“We also have a holiday instruction form that can be completed at our offices to ensure we have all your information while you are on holiday. Should you be going away, please ensure that we have the contact details of the person who will have the keys and be looking after your premises, in case of an emergency,” asked King.
Security tips when going away for the holidays:
• Make sure your alarm is in working order and tested before leaving on holiday
• Beware of posting holiday photographs on social media
• Have a neighbour collect your newspapers and mail
• Keep a radio or TV on
• Leave lights on around the premises
• Invest in a guard or off-site monitoring
• Get a family member or friend to visit the premises occasionally
“Once again, we wish you a happy festive season and safe returns!”
Contact them on 010 492 4321.
