People working in your home or on your property can form a vital front-line in the fight against crime. This is why it is critical to do proper vetting before employing anyone or retaining their services.

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“We strongly recommend that homeowners make use of a specialist consultancy who can do the required background checks for you,” says Charnel Hattingh, National Marketing and Communications Manager at Fidelity ADT.

“Doing the necessary background checks on domestic staff before hiring them may seem like a time consuming exercise but could make all the difference to your home security.”

Hattingh recommends starting with a criminal record check which can be obtained through the police, with the potential employee’s consent. She also suggests doing a reference check with several previous employers.

“Ask questions about dismissals, responsibilities, any security issues, tardiness, and so on. It is important to speak to more than one previous employer so you can get a good idea of the employee’s track record,” she says.

Domestic staff play a key role in home security, so not only should they be vetted before employment but they should also be educated on security measures that have been installed.

“Your domestic staff should understand what security measures you have in place and how to react should your alarm be triggered, for example. It needs to be clearly explained how they need to deal with an alarm activation, what to do when the security company calls and when an officer responds,” says Hattingh.

“Along with that a vital responsibility is verifying who enters your property when you are not at home. Unannounced workmen or suppliers should not be let in and suspicious persons or activity should be reported to your security company or the police.”

“Lastly, consider enrolling your domestic staff in local crime-prevention forums which take place in most neighbourhoods. These are often arranged by the SAPS or armed response companies, and teach domestic workers valuable crime-prevention and safety tips,” concludes Hattingh.

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