Archive for the ‘Safety Tips & Guides’ Category
Reduce the chance of being a Victim!
December 7th, 2011
Any safety tip or piece of advice has the one objective. That is to reduce the chance of you being a victim of a crime. It is not designed to make you paranoid or looking for a demon under every stone. Quite the opposite, in fact. The design is to empower you, to make you feel more confident that in a crisis situation, you can cope. You have planned for just about any eventuality and have certain fail-safe plans in place to help get yourself out in one piece. Better still, we recognise potential threats or situations and merely avoid them. We can’t afford a platoon of body guards to follow us around everywhere, and I’m sure that few of us would want them anyway. On top of this, it is also not possible to get a program inserted in our brains a la “The Matrix” and instantly learn Kung Fu. What can we do? The answer is the motto of the Boy Scouts. “Be prepared”. Further to that is a good quote from Henry V, “All is ready if our minds be so.” Read the rest of this entry »
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CENSUS WORKERS
October 5th, 2011
With the South African Census process beginning, people are advised to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft.
How do you tell the difference between a census worker and a con artist?
• If a Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice.
• Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions.
• However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.
• Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information.
• Do not give your identity number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the Census.
REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS. Read the rest of this entry »
Safety Tips for Senior Citizens
August 17th, 2011
It is important for senior citizens to take extra precautions particularly when it comes to their personal safety and home security. Herewith a few valuable hints and tips to bear in mind:
Senior safety begins at home:
•Install and use good locks on doors and windows.
•Don’t hide keys under the doormat, in
the mailbox or in a pot plant.
If needed, leave a spare key with a
family member or a trusted neighbour.
When service or delivery people
come to the door, ask for
identification and check with their
company if you’re still unsure of their
identity.
•Make sure that the street number
on your house is large, well-lit and
unobstructed so that emergency
personnel can find your home quickly
when necessary.
•If you decide to install an alarm
system, consider one that is
monitored for burglary, fire and
medical emergencies.
•If you live in a retirement home,
ensure that you can communicate
with the guard at the main gate.
Create your own Safe Room
June 9th, 2011
have a ready contingency plan
A truly frightening phenomenon in the crime situation is being confronted in your own home. You may or may not be in the physical or mental condition to fight off an intruder so to best cope with the situation, 
preparation is the key.
I truly do not believe in spreading undue fear and paranoia in terms of preventing crime, but rather to have a well-rehearsed, proper plan in place that needs little maintenance and cost outlay to set up. The purpose here is to create a comfortable, safe place for you to take refuge in the case of an emergency of most sorts.
To get started you will need a few things:
• a trusted and competent handyman
• a cheap, Rica’d cell phone loaded with R50 airtime
• a big blob of Press-Stick
• a handful of sweets
• some old magazines
• a pen that works.
• your alarm company technician. Read the rest of this entry »
Working together against Crime
January 24th, 2011
What To Be On The Look Out For:
1. Anything that seems out of place/not normal in your area.
2.Strange vehicles cruising around in your area or parked with no apparent reason.
3. Strangers loitering where they should not be or where they are not normally present.
4. Unknown people calling at gates/doors of premises giving unlikely/contrived reasons.
5. People selling goods that are suspiciously cheap (likely to be stolen or counterfeit).
6. Pedestrians carrying large or expensive items in out of place circumstances and/or at unusual times.
7. Unrelated people regularly hanging around schools/school children.
8. Unusual activities on premises e.g. excessive noise, vehicles being re-sprayed/dismantled, too many occupants, excessive coming and going of people or vehicles, visitors who stay for only a very short time etc.
9. Unauthorised people interfering with or pretending to be working on electrical or communication cables.
10. People burning or carrying burnt copper cable.
11. “Markers” that have been placed on properties or people who are placing “markers”.
12. People keeping premises’ under observation/surveillance and/or asking questions about the premises and its occupants.
Enjoy your Shopping…
January 13th, 2011
but remember some important security tips by ACT (Against Crime Together)
• Avoid carrying large amounts of money.
• Never leave valuable possessions in the trolley.
• Don’t allow your children to go to the public toilet on their own.
• Put your wallet in an inside coat or the front pants pocket, not a back pocket.
• Carry your bag around your neck and diagonally across your body. Don’t carry it hanging over one shoulder. You can also clutch your bag and hold it in front of you.
• Be alert when the cashier is scanning your items as the customer before you could put some of the items in his/her shopping bag.
HOW TO REACT IN AN ARMED ROBBERY
October 28th, 2010
Hints during an Armed Robbery:
1. Do not Resist -You will only be putting lives at risk
2. Remain Calm - If you panic try to regulate your breathing by taking long slow deliberate breaths
3. Speak Slowly - Do not raise your voice to the robbers otherwise they will lose self-control
4. Make no sudden movements – Tell the robber what you are doing eg. “I am going to take my keys out of my pocket now” – and then do it slowly
5. Do not set off the siren – Activate the alarm only if it can be done secretly. Many armed robbers have turned violent (with hostages taken) because the siren panics the robbers.
6. Do not look the robber directly in the face – The robber may think that you are memorizing his features for later identification and he could then shoot you.
7. Give the robbers time to leave – Do not try to prevent their Get-Away – This could turn violent resulting in death / injury.
8. Do not try to be a hero – The only heros are dead heros.
Safety for Children
October 27th, 2010
“Keep an open line of communication and trust between parents and children.”
Parents or children’s caretakers must take responsibility for their children and ensure their safety at all times. Keep an open line of communication and trust between parents and children; children and the school, and know your children’s friends.
Teach your children:
• Basic safety rules and to follow the rules and instructions well;
• To trust the police and that they are their friends;
• To only approach uniformed police officials and/or marked police cars;
• Never to approach a vehicle unless they are absolutely sure they know the occupants;
• Never to accept a lift from strangers;
• Not to talk to adults they do not know;
• Never to accept sweets, money or ice cream from a stranger;
• Always to let you know where they are;
• To avoid giving your home telephone number to strangers;
• To walk to and from school and bus stops in groups;
• To stay close to you, especially at swimming pools, beaches or busy shopping centres;
• Not to wander off, to avoid lonely places, and not to take short-cuts through alleys or deserted areas; and not to hitchhike.
Human Trafficking
September 20th, 2010
The fastest growing criminal industry in the world!
A study of human trafficking in South Africa released recently revealed a secretive underworld where women and children were at growing risk of abduction and exploitation. The study, commissioned by the NPA and conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council, recommend that trafficking awareness become part of the national school curriculum. Some 28 000 to 30 000 children are at present being prostituted in South Africa and victims are often recruited from rural areas or informal settlements and transported to cities.
THE FACTS:
Human Trafficking is the practice of humans being tricked, lured or otherwise removed from their home or country, and then forced to work with no or low payment or on terms which are highly exploitative.The practice is considered to be trade or commerce of people, which has many features of slavery. The victims of human trafficking can be used in variety of situations, including prostitution and forced labour. The sale of babies and children for adoption or other purposes is also considered to be trafficking in those children.
Lets clean up our act…
September 20th, 2010
If like me, you have abandoned your shopping trolley in a car park, then you may have contributed to our crime problem.
In a ground breaking piece of research, American psychology professor Robert Cialdini demonstrated that we were more likely to randomly abandon our shopping trolleys in messy car parks than in clean and tidy ones. Such bad behaviour he suggests, leads to other forms of social disorder and so the messy cycle continues. “So what?” I hear you ask, “What’s so groundbreaking about all that?” He has simply proved what we have known all along: that disorder creates disorder.
Yet this is an incredibly useful piece of research, particularly from the point of view of creating a safe South Africa. When one compares what has become known as the “Cialdini effect” with other pieces of similar research, some challenging and perhaps uncomfortable truths emerge. For example the presence of litter has been proved to cause 100 percent increase in theft.
