East domestic workers attend safety workshops
Domestic workers are soft targets and they are often tied up or locked inside a bathroom while criminals ransack the house.
Brooklyn police and Fidelity ADT trained domestic workers and gardeners in Constantia Park on Wednesday afternoon to enhance their safety.
Brooklyn police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach said more than 70 domestic workers and gardeners gathered at a local park where they were taught about personal safety and took part in a basic self-defence class.
“Domestic workers and gardeners are left with the huge responsibility of caring for their employers’ homes and their contents in their absence. Crime affects everybody and domestic workers and gardeners can fall victim to criminals at their work places,” she said.
Weilbach said in some incidents, robbers gain entry to a house while a domestic worker was working there.
“They are often tied up or locked inside a bathroom while the criminals ransack the house.”
Domestic workers are soft targets while they wait for a taxi and often get robbed of their personal belongings, she added.
Because of this, the police and Fidelity ADT are conducting safety workshops to educate domestic workers and gardeners on what they can do to help protect themselves, Weilbach added.
“They are also walking the streets every day and are often far more able to identify suspicious persons and vehicles. This information is valuable to the SAPS in preventing and solving crime.”
The police and Fidelity ADT provided the following safety advice at the workshop:
– Take note of people and vehicles that look suspicious and out of place and report them to the employer, the police or a security company.
– Get to know the neighbouring domestic workers and gardeners and, where possible, walk from and to public transport together. It is also a good idea to exchange cellphone numbers for information-sharing and in case of an emergency.
– Keep the doors locked and unbarred windows closed and do not leave keys in the doors or security gates.
– Take care when putting out or collecting rubbish bins. Look around for any suspicious people and close the gate immediately.
– Residents are requested to look after the safety of their employees. Install safety gates at their rooms and make sure the windows are strongly burglar-proofed.
– Emergency numbers and the home address must be handy in case of an emergency.
– Never to let anyone onto the property unless the employer has instructed them to do so.
– When they have to go outside to hang up washing or work in the garden, they must keep their cellphone and/or a panic button with them.
– Ask for their salary to be put into a bank account, rather than being paid in cash at the end of the month. Criminals target domestic workers carrying cash.
– Only carry a small amount of cash for your taxi or train fare.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
Rekord East
Rekord North
Rekord Centurion
Rekord Moot
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
