Springs police spokesman, Capt Johannes Ramphora says it is imperative for residents to ensure that they follow these guidelines to ensure they remain safe.
House safety tips:
- When going on holiday, ask someone you can trust to look after your house.
n When someone is looking after your house, they should not open for strangers or people saying they are from certain companies or the municipality, but must rather call the police or the house owner to check with them first.
- Ask a neighbour to look out for any suspicious behaviour around your property.
- Do not leave the lights on for 24 hours a day, as this attracts criminals.
- Inform your security company when you go away. If you don’t have one, then alert the SAPS so they can ask the sector vehicle in your area to patrol near your house.
- Don’t leave tools outside or anything that can be used by criminals to break into your home or put you in danger.
Protect your car:
- Do not leave your car unattended.
- Have an alarm system or tracker in your car.
- Always keep the vehicle locked.
- Ensure that your spare keys are locked away in a safe place so that even if your house is burgled, the the burglars won’t have easy access to your car.
- Put locknuts on your wheels.
- Put all your valuables and firearm in a lockable safe.
- Keep your car inside a garage.
- Don’t leave things in your that will attract criminals, as they might smash your car or end up hijacking you. Rather lock these items up in the boot of the car.
Safety tips at the bank:
- Do not expose your bank card to criminals.
- Always keep your PIN safe and cover the buttons when pressing entering it into the ATM.
- Go with someone you trust to the bank or ATM.
- Don’t go after hours, as some ATMs may not be lit.
- Don’t withdraw large sums of money – rather do a cash transfer.
- When going to do grocery shopping, use vouchers instead of carrying money.
Ramphora says that by following these simple tips, you might just save yourself a lot of money and stress.
