Your home is your castle – the place where you feel secure and protected. That’s why a break-in is costly, not only on a financial level but on a personal level as well. It is, in short, a violation of your personal space. And it’s not just people who live in “bad neighbourhoods” that are at risk – a false sense of security can leave anyone vulnerable. Criminals look for easy targets. Here are 6 tips to make sure you’re not one of them.

1. Digital devices that steal our attention

Let’s face it, there are more distractions now than ever and our digital devices are the biggest culprits. Whether it’s at the traffic lights or in our driveways or as we wait for the front gate to open, our situational awareness is completely impaired by the shiny phone in our hands. This has become a terrible habit most of us are prone to.

The consequence of this is that criminals have more opportunity to lurk unnoticed or even sneak up on you because you least expect it.

Make it a habit to stay focused on what is happening around you. Keep your phone activity to a minimum.

2. Not making sure the front gate or garage door has closed properly

We all have those mornings where we are super late for work and leaving our home needs to be more rushed than usual. On these mornings, we reverse out of the driveway, press the gate button and straighten our steering wheel in one motion. As we accelerate to start our day, we just know the gate will close on its own, it always does, right? Wrong. There have been so many instances where properties have been left open to access because of gates that have stopped working due to technical abnormalities.

Make it a habit to take the 5 seconds to ensure your gate closes properly and that your property alarm is set. Remember to service your gate motor regularly to avoid any unwanted frustration and risks to safety.

3. Untrimmed hedges, trees and bushes

Who knew that an overgrown garden can be a risk to your safety? Well, believe it. An overgrown garden creates amazing hiding places for opportunistic criminals. In addition, unruly plants can cause an increase in false alarms, which cannot only be an irritant for neighbours but also a costly exercise to manage. Some homeowners may choose to deactivate alarms before they actually explore the real reasons for the false alarm triggers.

Make it a habit to keep your garden plants well maintained. Remove any trees/ plants that make an intruder’s life easier.

4. Leaving windows or the front or back door open

Doors and windows are often left open because we either forget or we believe that nothing can happen in the 10 minutes it will take us to pop to the shop.

Make it a habit to double check doors and windows whether you are away for 2 hours or 5 minutes.

5. Leaving trash bins outside

We all have a trash day when our bins are left outside for collection. After collection, some home owners will take bins back inside quite promptly, while others may choose to leave bins outside the walls of their property for longer.

What we often don’t realise is that bins can be used as an easy step up over your property walls and there have been reported incidences of intruders physically hiding in dustbins.

Make it a habit to bring your dustbin back in as promptly as possible, check it and keep it in a place that will not make it an easy step onto your property.

6. Leaving lights off

A home left in darkness can be a billboard for unwanted activity. Keep your property well lit, even if you are not home. There are many solar-powered lighting, timing lighting and sensor lighting options to consider.

Make it a habit to keep your home/ business well-lit to deter unwanted behaviour.

At Secure Rite, we see too often the result of distraction or bad habits that result in a compromise to safety. Here are some of the common sentences we hear at crime scenes

  • I was just out for a second
  • I didn’t know the gate was faulty
  • It happened so fast
  • The dogs didn’t even bark
  • The alarm has been going off so much lately, we just switched it off
  • The window is so small, we didn’t think it would be an issue to leave it open

Sometimes, even with all the security features we have, a simple moment of distraction can be all it takes to compromise the safety of our loved ones and property. If we entrench the right habits and protocols early on – doing the basics right becomes like breathing.

Whether it’s an extra eye to assess your property or a need for additional alarm features, we are here to help. Contact Secure Rite for all your security needs.

Call us today for all your home and business security needs
Telephone number: 0860 10 30 99.
Email address: info@securerite.co.za
Web address: www.securerite.co.za