Make sure the house is safe

POLOKWANE – While the safety of property is a priority when families go on holiday, many people do not take the necessary precautions when leaving their homes.

This is according to Polokwane police spokesperson, Capt Ntobeng Phala.

“Don’t let the anticipation of a well-deserved holiday blind you to the risks of leaving your home unprotected. Go ahead and plan your beach, camping or city shopping holiday, but take precautions before you leave,” Phala advised.

He said the best way to make sure your house was safe while you are on holiday, was to have a trusted person live there.
Phala said being pro-active could mean the difference be-tween coming back relaxed from a holiday or having to face the nightmare of finding that your house had been burgled.
Some of his home safety tips included:
• Stop any post or other delivery that may show that you are not at home for a period of time.
• To help create the illusion that the residence is still occupied, invest in timers that turn on the interior lights for a few hours every evening.
• If you plan on being away for an extended period of time, hire someone to take care of the landscaping chores in your absence.
• Locking your home makes it less attractive to opportunistic burglars.
• The less information you make public about your holiday plans, the less likely it is to reach the wrong ears and eyes.
• Installing a home security system or even just exterior lights that run on timers is a good way to ramp up security around the old homestead and make your house safer whether you’re around or not.
Phala said it was also important to let the neighbours know when you will not be at home to make sure that they can report irregularities and movement at the house when you are not there.