When you go to sleep, criminals usually go to work.
According to safety practitioner Louis Grobler, there are a number of precautions you can take to ensure a safe and sound night’s rest:
• Look out for suspect people/ cars near your house and report them.
• Look for ‘criminal signs’ (eishgalo) along the street edge of your property and remove them.
• Ensure that scissors, tools and things which can be used to cause injury are safely locked away.
• Keep ladders, spades, garden forks and other possible break-in tools locked away out of sight.
• Keep all outside gates and doors, including garages, laundries and toilets locked.
• Lock away all obvious attractions, such as bicycles, motorbikes, and laundry.
• Keep all internal and external access doors and safety and perimeter gates locked.
• Do not leave keys in locks. Put them in a safe place, out of sight but accessible.
• Draw all curtains and blinds before switching on lights.
• Don’t leave valuables such as laptops and cellphones near windows.
• Lock the doors of rooms that have no burglar bars on their windows.
• Keep cellphones with emergency numbers on hand.
• Activate your alarm system, including the outside beams and passive infrared detectors.
• Keep the alarm panic remote on hand.
• If you have weapons or firearms on the premises, keep them out of sight but within reach.
• Switch on all outside lights and movement detectors.
• Keep flashlights in working order, charge rechargeable batteries, and have them within reach at all times.
• Keep your car keys close by, in case you need to find them quickly.
Also Read:
What to do when you’re a hijacking target
More handy tips to prevent crime
