The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Statistics South Africa recorded a total of 2.01 million crimes in 2019.
This is why it is important to help fight crime. Fidelity ADT advised that to achieve this, is to do thorough research when looking to employ someone in your home.
Charnel Hattingh, national marketing and communications manager at Fidelity ADT said, “People working in your home or on your property can form a vital frontline in the fight against crime. This is why it is critical to do proper vetting before employing anyone or retaining their services.”
Hattingh recommended that homeowners make use of a specialist consultancy who could do the required background checks. “Doing the necessary background checks on domestic staff before hiring them may seem like a time-consuming exercise but could make all the difference to your home security.”
According to Hattingh, a great point of departure would be to check whether your potential employee has a criminal record by visiting your local police station with their consent. Thereafter, contact their previous employers for a reference check. “Ask questions about dismissals, responsibilities, any security issues, tardiness, and so on. It is important to speak to more than one previous employer so you can get a good idea of the employee’s track record,” she said.
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Hattingh said domestic staff played a key role in home security, so it was important that they were educated on security measures that have been installed. “Your domestic staff should understand what security measures you have in place and how to react should your alarm be triggered. It needs to be clearly explained how they need to deal with an alarm activation, what to do when the security company calls and when an officer responds,” she said.
“Along with that, a vital responsibility is verifying who enters your property when you are not at home. Unannounced workmen or suppliers should not be let in and suspicious persons or activity should be reported to a security company or police.”
Hattingh concluded that it was important that domestic staff were enrolled in local crime prevention forums. “These are often arranged by the SAPS or armed response companies, and teach domestic workers valuable crime prevention and safety tips.”
