POLOKWANE – Stay safe this festive season with tips from the Community Police Forum (CPF) in Polokwane.
Review spoke to CPF Chairperson, Trevor van Niekerk, who said you can keep your home, business and belongings in safe hands this holiday season by following their Christmas security tips.
Tips:
- Arm Your System – Remember to arm your security system every time you leave work or home. Christmas is a peak time for burglary, with opportunistic thieves on the lookout for all sorts of goodies.
- Update Your CPF Board – Make sure thieves know your property is protected by updating your CPF Board.
- Update Your Contact Details – If you plan to leave on holiday, make sure that your local CPF Sector Duty Officers are updated with the correct details, who to contact for emergency, who is looking after your house and the person’s name, surname and telephone number.
- Be Careful About What You Post Online – It’s always exciting to share holiday memories, but avoid posting too much information about your travel plans on social media. The wrong people may find out you are away from home and take advantage of your absence.
- Don’t Leave Signs That You Are Away – Remember to cancel your newspaper and other mail services if you are away from home for a long period of time. Ask your CPF or a friend to check on your property, and remove spare keys from outside.
- Let There Be Light – Installing automatic sensor lights at the front of your house is not only a great way to deter burglars, it will also welcome guests to your front door.
- Avoid Fire Hazards – Keep some lights on when you leave your house in the evening. Remember that decorative fairy lights outside and on the Christmas tree are a serious fire hazard, so save the festive display for when you are at home.
- Obscure Your Windows – Seeing a glimpse of a twinkling Christmas tree through a neighbourhood window makes most of us warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately, not every passer-by has good intentions, so make sure to obscure outsiders’ views into your living space.
- Hide Your Gift Boxes – That brand new flat-screen TV you just got for Christmas’ box will attract the attention of thieves just as much as the item itself. Conceal and dispose of boxes in your recycling carefully.
- Keep Track Of Your Shopping – Christmas is a busy time of year. With so much to organise, it’s easy to become distracted! Remember to keep track of your shopping bags when you’re doing your Christmas shopping.
- Watch Your Belongings – It might be ‘Silly Season’, but remember to drink responsibly and keep an eye on your belongings when you are out at social events.
Trevor adds that when anyone calls 10111, the CPF Sector Emergency Line or any other emergency service, they often find that the operator gets the street name and address incorrect. He advised people to learn how to spell their street name using the phonetic alphabet:
A – Alpha
B – Bravo
C – Charlie
D – Delta
E – Echo
F – Foxtrot
G – Golf
H – Hotel
I – India
J – Juliett
K – Kilo
L – Lima
M – Mike
N – November
O – Oscar
P – Papa
Q – Quebec
R – Romeo
S – Sierra
T – Tango
U – Uniform
V – Victor
W – Whiskey
X – X-ray
Z – Zulu
The Community Police Forum’s sector boundaries.
Also read: Contact numbers in case of crime
