Lock it up this April holiday with savvy safety tips
JOBURG - Be safe this Easter holidays.
Offices across South Africa prepare to close doors for a few days As the Easter holidays approach, families gear-up to hit the road. “Unfortunately, holidays and long weekends are prime periods for break-ins at unguarded homes and businesses. Research suggests around 686 households and 54 businesses get broken into daily in SA – and this increases substantially during the holidays,” said Senior Account Executive at gullanandgullan Nthabiseng Mokoena.
Review security procedures and equipment before the holidays to ensure safety. Here are some tips to help protect your home and business while you’re away:
- Lock it up
Valuable items are all the motivation needed to break in. During holidays, businesses should adopt a ‘clean desk policy’. Pack away laptops and other valuable equipment in a lockable store room, away from prying eyes
- Back up your data
Invest in cloud storage to back up data in case of theft or natural disaster while on holiday
- Turn it off
Security is more than just preventing theft. Reduce the risk of damage by switching off electrical points and appliances. “Not only will you negate fire risk caused by overloaded power points, you’ll be saving on electricity costs too,” said Mokoena
- Increase security
Assess whether current security measures could be improved. CCTV cameras and alarms will intimidate potential intruders, so should be used to their full advantage – make sure they’re working by testing comprehensively
Ask neighbours to keep an eye on your office or home. “Ask them to alert you of any suspicious activity,” said Mokoena.
“With security precautions in place, heightened awareness of holiday dangers and tech tools to monitor your property from afar, you can enjoy the Easter holiday and long weekend, while keeping your business and home safe,” said Mokoena.
Do you have safety tips that you would like to share with our readers? Share the tips with us on the Joburg East Express facebook page.
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