Is your gate safe?
SANDTON – Kate Wardle, deputy chairperson of the Parkmore Community Association (PCA) is urging residents to install safer gates on their properties.
Gates are designed to keep unwanted trespassers out, but they are not always successful in doing so.
Kate Wardle, deputy chairperson of the Parkmore Community Association, said that as a leader of her community, she is concerned about the efficiency of many of the gates in her area. She is constantly researching crime in the area and feels that residents need to take the efficiency of their gates more seriously.
“Many people in Sandton have invested in anti-lift devices in recent years, meaning that sliding gates are less easy to lift and push off their rails. But increasingly, criminals are taking crowbars and bending the rack that slides the gate along the motor, granting quick and easy access. This trend is happening across Sandton,” explained Wardle.
She said that in Parkmore, there has been a radical drop in crime since the road closures were installed three months ago. “However, we are still seeing roughly one home per week being broken into because residents have not secured their gates. Typically, a home that is not linked with the suburb’s preferred security provider. I
“It is an affordable solution to put an anti-lift device on the gate and a bar across the bottom rail. I wish more residents would look at making this investment.”
Wardle stressed that lifting gates or breaking rails are nothing new. “However, it is important for homeowners to realise how quickly gates can be opened.”
Geoff Shapiro, Operations Director of 24/7 Security explained, “A gate can be opened, a house cleared and the criminals escape in five minutes. Often, no one outside the house notices anything. Our average response time in Parkmore is two minutes, 30 seconds, meaning, that if criminals do attempt to break into a home protected by us, they are often arrested or escape empty-handed.”
Shapiro said that another vulnerable point is that the gardeners who work on the pavements often forget to lock the pedestrian gate. “It is far safer to always ask the gardener to lock the pedestrian gate or keep the main vehicle gate closed. This is an inconvenience, but it is a lot better than having criminals inside your house.”
Wardle said that any residents who want to secure their gates can contact her and she will advise them accordingly.
Read more:
Safety tips on how to avoid driveway robberies
CPF issues safety tips to Sandton residents
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