THE Mondeor CPF Sector Two Domestic Watch meeting was held on April 9 at Sasol Columbine, with Michael Bailey from SOS ProTec Sure giving a talk about house robbers and keeping safe.
The meeting was also attended by Const Elizabeth Mnguni from the Mondeor Police Station, Michelle Pelser (Sector Two Mondeor CPF and the organiser), Joy Boswell (assistant to Michelle) and Clive Wannenburg (SOS Operations manager).
According to SOS ProTec Sure, house robberies are on the increase and most house robbers are aged between 19 and 26 years. More often than not, their criminal careers began when they were in their teens. A staggering 97 per cent of all robbers are armed and one in three house robbers have murdered. Surprisingly, victims of house robberies are only seriously injured in two percent of incidents at the time this research was done.
“Women are more often tortured or hurt during house robberies,” Bailey told the domestics “and the suspects try to gather information from unsuspecting domestic workers or gardeners.”
If suspects don’t have inside information, they will keep the house under observation for a long time and they may send an accomplice into the house to check it out. He might pretend, for example, he is there to check your TV licence.
Most attacks occur between 7pm and midnight, people are relaxed, busy cooking or watching TV and the security systems and beams are not activated. Robberies continue until 4am.
Be very careful what information you leak to anyone outside of your home or place of work.
“The biggest deterrent confirmed by robbers themselves are small dogs kept inside the home,” added Bailey.
Read:
Safety tips for Domestic Watch
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