Domestic workers urged to pay attention to the little things

WELTEVREDEN PARK – Honeydew Police hosted a successful Domestic Watch Meeting that made workers pay more attention to the little things.

Vigilance is a subject that Sector 2 manager Sergeant Nicholas Makhura focused on during his meeting with domestic workers in the sector on 15 July.

“Domestic workers in the area tend to be less aware of what’s happening in and around the houses they keep, and this can lead to them not paying attention to what criminals are up to.”

According to Makhura, the first mistake that workers make is not locking up behind themselves – they leave themselves and the houses they are working in exposed and vulnerable.

“Turn around and make sure that you have locked the gate or front door behind you, feel that it is locked.”

The second tip is to listen to barking dogs as they never tend to be wrong.

“Look outside when the dogs bark as this can be an early indication that there is danger.”

Makhura urged the workers to keep emergency numbers close in the event of an emergency.

“Put the Sector 2 vehicle numbers and any other relevant emergency numbers on the fridge and save them on your phone.”

Knowing one’s neighbours is also a point that he focused on during the workshop.

“The people you are working with might or might not know their neighbours. Take time and go and meet the neighbours and their domestic workers and take down their numbers as well. This might help you during an incident or if something strange is happening at their house.”

“Criminals are curious and they monitor what goes into your house, so if your employer buys an item that they deliver in branded boxes then these perpetrators can spot the items and this will cause them to break into the house. The easiest thing to do is to cover these items with black bags or unload them when no one is watching to ensure the safety of those around you.”

Makhura said the Sector vehicles are there for the safety of the workers and that they should call whenever they feel threatened.

Details: Sector 2 Vehicle numbers 071 675 7102; 071 675 7112.