A post Lockdown crime spike related to escalated poverty is being noted by the National Prosecuting Authority - here's how to ensure you and your home are safe.
An increase in house break-ins, robberies and petty crimes has been noted in recent data shared by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). While crime fell dramatically during Level 5 and 4 of Lockdown, it's clear financial constraints are taking its toll, the NPA found.
National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi told the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services and Select Committee on Security and Justice says she expects to see an increase in poverty related crimes.
Prem Balram, head of Reaction Unit South Africa, a security company active in Verulam, Tongaat and Phoenix areas says, “A few days after the lockdown eased, petty crime like your theft of garden tools, plants and fruit from trees began to increase. This, however, escalated to more serious crimes like your house break-ins, house robberies, and theft of motor vehicles.”
With the coronavirus pandemic Lockdown easing, South Africans are being warned to take action against the expected spike.
If you've been considering improving your property's security - there has never been a better time to do so.
Home Protection guidelines
“Home ownership is a great investment opportunity, so you want to make sure you're doing everything you can to protect it,” says Shaun Rademeyer, CEO of Multinet Home Loans.
He suggests protecting your humble abode from unwanted guests using the following easy to implement tips.
1. Lock your doors — even when you’re at home. While it might seem unnecessary to lock your doors when you’re inside, doing so can help prevent any nasty surprises.
2. Do a little landscaping — Trees and shrubs that surround your windows and doors can make perfect shelters for burglars who are trying to break into your home without being seen. Consider tidying up larger plants windows and doors to minimize the amount of coverage they could provide to thieves (and enhance your curb appeal while you’re at it!).
3. Make sure your home always looks lived-in —Any time you’re headed out of town — even just for a few days — take some simple steps to make your home look lived-in: Set timers to turn on your indoor and outdoor lights at the same time you’d normally turn them on each evening.
4. Get to know your neighbours— A great way to protect your home from a break-in and ward off potential burglars is to simply have more eyes watching over your house. Get to know your neighbours so you can watch each other’s houses, which can be especially important when you go away for an extended period of time.
5. Secure your doors — One of the very best things you can do to protect your home from burglary is making sure your doors are secure. This means ensuring all of your exterior doors have strong frames, protected hinges and a mail slot thin enough to prevent anyone from reaching inside. You can also add security measures to your door, such as a deadbolt, strike plate or even update it to a smart lock or a video doorbell. These smart home security features will allow you to secure and monitor your home from wherever you are!
6. Lock your windows — Windows should at minimum be working properly, which means their latch should be able to close. Unfortunately, flimsy latches aren’t effective measures against break-ins, so if you find that yours are lacking then it’s time to update or replace these latches.
7. Lighting— Well-placed lights outside of your home can sometimes be enough to discourage burglars. Working under the cover of darkness is a must for burglars, and when you take this cover away, they will move to easier targets. You can also install motion-activated lighting that switches on when someone walks near the light.
8. Install a home security system— Invest in a quality home security system. Both self-monitored and company-monitored security systems will enhance your home security efforts and help deter or catch unwelcome guests.
Preparing your home for smartness
Further to basic home security, people also want more efficient, smart technologies homes - which improves the resale value of your property considerably.
The benefits also extend beyond just home security, to include energy efficiency and systems user functionality. "These can all be controlled from a phone or other mobile devices, allowing remote users to activate alarms, set zones or even check out movement within their property," says Vera Nagtegaal, the executive head of Hippo.co.za.
Configuring your home security is a crucial smart home step. Install smart cameras, smart locks, and smart sensors to complement smart lights in keeping your home safe. You will then be using an app on your smartphone to control and monitor the smart security features in your home.
With home connectivity and remote management, you want to do your research prior to purchasing your wish-list smart items and make sure your smart home devices meet these security standards. Click here for more tips.
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