How to stay safe in and out of your home after dark

Winter’s shorter days often mean people leave home in the dark and come home…in the dark. This can be a security risk and leave you vulnerable, if you are not aware of potential threats. Fidelity ADT share some tips on which steps to take to have necessary precautions in place to keep you safe in and out of your home in the dark:

1. Big Brother is watching: Install good quality CCTV cameras that give a broad view of the street and driveway and can capture precise images of criminals lurking the streets in the dead of night. Choose a camera system that reacts to activity in real time via an alert to your cellphone or by triggering your house alarm.
2. Light it up: The best way to prevent potential criminals from hiding in the dark, waiting for the opportune moment to attack, is to light up your property. Opting for motion detector lights is a good deterrent for the driveway and other dark outdoor areas that you don’t necessarily want lit up at all times.
3. Close up after dark: Check all outside areas, like garage doors and sheds, are locked, switch on lights, close curtains and activate outdoor beams as soon as it gets dark.
4. Have a backup light available: Keep a torch and batteries in an accessible spot in the house and in the car in case of an emergency or should loadshedding kick in as you get home.
5. Take essentials only: If you can’t avoid jogging in the dark, make sure to only carry some form of ID with you as well as your phone, but keep it hidden. Jewelry needs to stay at home.
6. Don’t go out unannounced: Need to go out for a quick run to destress? Make sure to tell someone which route you will be taking and how long it should take you, so that the person knows when and where to look should they be concerned.
7. Be savvy about how you exercise: Try to run with a friend, or better yet in a group, stick to well-lit routes and don’t run in unsafe areas. If you can, take your dog with you.