A highly respected criminologist, Monique Marks recently dropped a bomb when she said high walls around your property does not protect you but rather attract criminals.
The Record spoke to a local security practitioner, from the Security in Practice (Sip) community initiative, Louis Grobler who wholeheartedly agreed with Marks.
“There are those who will swear by high walls believing it is the ultimate crime deterrent but if a wall is higher than four meters it poses a few problems. You can not see or hear what is going on inside and the security vehicle patrolling the street will not know what is waiting for him on the other side of the wall,” said Grobler.
“I would rather recommend a wall with a built in palisade window so that you can see in and out.
“Two of the things that worry criminals the most is lighting and noise. They do not want to be seen and want to make as little noise as possible when they breach your property. Therefor two very important complimentary precautions is lighting and securing your perimeter. It is important though to have the lights shining from the house to the walls,” he continued.
The Record asked Grobler what his top five security tips are:
• Protect your perimeter on the inside.
• Visibility from within the house as well as from the street.
• Outside lighting.
• Protection in front of your windows (burglar bars) and doors (safety gates) on the inside of the house.
• Keeping a good guard dog.
His final advise to residents is to use your eyes and ears and speak to each other in order to educate yourself and increase your awareness.
“People will also be very surprised when they take a look at their house from the viewpoint of a criminal, ” Grobler concluded.
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