Staying safe at home and outdoors when it’s dark

While we know criminals operate all hours of the day, the cover of darkness does offer them extra benefits and opportunities to carry out their plans.

This is why residents who leave home in the dark and return home after dark are particularly vulnerable and should take precautions to stay safe, said Charnel Hattingh, head of marketing and communications at Fidelity ADT.

“With winter upon us, bringing shorter daylight hours it is important to think about a change in routine, however minor, to improve personal and home safety. We also have load-shedding to contend with,” she said.

“Shorter daylight hours also puts pedestrians and commuters at higher risk, as well as people who exercise, like joggers and cyclists.”

Hattingh explained that there are particular reasons criminals infiltrate residential areas late at night or in the early hours of the morning, one of these being that the streets are much quieter and most people are sound asleep.

“Another reason is they are not as noticeable as they would be in daylight. Criminals know they don’t belong in that neighbourhood and if spotted by a police or security company patrol they would have some explaining to do,” she said.

Fidelity ADT provided seven tips for staying safe at home in the dark:

• Install CCTV cameras that give a broad view of the street and driveway. Good quality cameras can capture precise images of criminals lurking the streets in the dead of night and react to activity in real time via an alert to your cellphone or by triggering your house alarm.

• Sufficient lighting around your house is very important. Motion detector lights are a good deterrent for driveway and other dark outdoor areas.

• Criminals don’t want to be detected so these lights will scare them off. Motion detector or sensor lights are ideal for people who leave home in the dark and get home after dark.

• Lock all doors, switch on lights, close curtains and activate outdoor beams as soon as it gets dark.

• Check all outside areas, like garage doors and sheds, are locked.

• Clear your driveway and gate area of shrubs and foliage in which criminals could hide and make sure the driveway is well lit.

• Keep a torch and batteries in an accessible spot in the house and in the car in case of an emergency.

• Test all security systems and panic buttons regularly.

Six tips for people exercising when it is dark:

• Leave valuables like your jewellery at home. It is a good idea to have a phone with you, but keep it well concealed.

• Carry some form of ID.

• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.

• Wear light-coloured or reflective clothing.

• Exercise in a group rather than on your own.

• Stick to well-lit routes.

Hattingh concluded that common sense is still one of our best defences.

“Avoid risky areas and situations by following you gut instinct and being aware of your surroundings at all times,” she said.

“Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable and must be on the lookout for suspicious people or cars on their route and report this to the police or a security company immediately.”