Criminals often take advantage of their targets and their modus operandi differs, but an effective alarm system can prevent this.
This according to Kavir Singh, regional sales manager for National Security and Fire in Johannesburg who have partnered with the Sandton Chronicle for this week’s edition of How Secure Are You? – an online and print security feature.
He said crime increases from mid-November, drops just before Christmas and picks up again around 3 to 5 January. “Burglaries increase significantly during the festive season because most people are away on holiday or are away for long periods during the day.”
He said that when you are away, you should make sure that there continues to be some activity at your house, for example, ask someone to come in and collect the post and to turn on the lights at night. “Residents should also be wary of people and things that appear out of place in their neighbourhood or business.”
He added that the modus operandi varies depending on the property and there are not always signs. “Different syndicates use different signs and methods.”
Singh also said that it is important to have multiple layers of security such as the correct beams for their application, internal security and security cameras.
He said that the criminals are after different things such as vehicles and others are after electronics.
“Most of these crimes are opportunistic, taking advantage of open gates, easy access to areas etc and others are planned out.”
According to him, most of these criminals are aged between 19 and 26 and operate in groups of four. “They are experienced criminals and have worked their way up to housebreaking,” ended Singh.
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