Safety and security are part of our basic human needs and require special attention especially if you don’t want to be a victim in crime statistics. Fidelity ADT, a leading security company in South Africa, urges the public to insure their new valuable items and assess their security systems before the year kicks off.

Charnel Hattingh, Fidelity ADT’s National Marketing, and Communications Manager advises getting in touch with your insurance company to make sure your important items are insured as soon as possible. “January is a tough month financially for most people. The last thing you want to have to deal with is a robbery losing your new but still uninsured items especially if it’s due to a faulty security system” she says.

Hattingh also recommends getting your security system in tip-top condition. First, start on the outside – fences, walls, gates, and beams should be thoroughly checked to see if it may need maintenance.

After this, indoor security must be tested to make sure that alarm panels, sensors, and panic buttons are in working order. It’s also a good idea to check door locks, windows, and sliding doors to make sure they are effective and rust-free. Should you have any doubts, your security provider will also send an expert to check your system,.

It’s also vital that your profile with your security provider is updated. To be able to assist, your security company needs to be able to contact you and have access to your property.

If access to your property is difficult, Hatting suggests either a lockbox or a digipad. Almost all security complexes have this device at their entrance. The premises can only be accessed with a secure code shared between the homeowners and the security company. As long as that code is not changed, the system works well. Sometimes homeowners change their codes and often don’t communicate this to the Monitoring Centre. This prevents access when the homeowner may need it most. Remember to check the battery of the remote in your lockbox every six months.

It is also important to alert your security company about any guard dogs on your property. Officers will not enter premises where there are vicious dogs.

Lastly, Hattingh urges homeowners to ensure they do a background check on any new staff members they may consider hiring this year. “It may seem like a time-consuming exercise but could make all the difference to your home security. In many cases of break-ins and house robberies, we find that there has been inside information shared with criminals.”