The EMPD has shared the following information on house break-ins and robberies.
According to the EMPD, eight out of 10 house robberies are committed with the help of information from house keepers, gardeners and former employees.
• Take extreme care when hiring domestic workers and other service providers
• Robbers will monitor the home for as long as two weeks
• Most attacks occur between 19:00 and midnight as people are relaxed, sleeping, cooking or watching TV
• On average, an armed robbery has four members
• Of all arrested robbers, 90 per cent had no matric qualification or were unemployed
• Most victims and targets are affluent persons who openly display their wealth, for example wearing expensive jewellery
• Robbers are not deterrent by alarms and armed reactions services
Also consider the following advice:
• Make sure trees and shrubs are trimmed so that they don’t allow a burglar to conceal himself.
• Don’t leave anything outside your yard that might help a burglar get into your house, such as a ladder, stackable boxes or any garden tools.
• Make sure your post box is always empty. A full post box makes it seem like you are never home
• Deviate from your usual routine regularly, use different routes
This information was supplied by EMPD media liaison officer Thabiso Makgato.
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