Security Awareness at Home

It's a sad state of affairs when we have to live our lives in a constant state of fear, but it is a reality in South Africa, and being vigilant can save your life. Here are some security tips that we all should follow:

GENERAL SECURITY MEASURES

You should always be in a Level B / Yellow state of alertness. This means that you are scanning ahead for possible trouble and are aware of your surroundings. This is applicable when you are driving, at home etc.

Always carry packets / briefcases etc in your weaker arm, allowing the stronger arm to be free holding keys (or if the situation requires it, defense spray).
Leave flashy jewelry at home.
If you have a firearm, do not advertise the fact that you have it.

BASIC SECURITY MEASURES WHEN DRIVING

Hijackings often occur when you are leaving for work or arriving home from work. This is because you are thinking about supper or work etc and you are not concentrating on your environment.

• Plan your route and make sure your vehicle is serviceable.
• Do not use the same route, vary your routine. (If possible, occasionally switch vehicles with your partner).
• Do not encourage hawkers. They distract you while you are stopped and this can lead to smash and grabs etc.
• Keep your windows closed.
• Be especially aware of people with their shirts hanging over their trousers or wearing jackets.
• Leave a space between you and the car in front of you.
• Do not get involved in any "road rage" argument, this may be a decoy.
• Be careful of "bumper bashing" incidents - call the police or if you are uncomfortable, drive to a police station or populated area where there are security officers.
• At intersections, leave your car in gear with your hand on the hand brake to enable quick movement.
• Slow down from a distance when approaching intersections.
• Vary your speed if possible (Do not go over speed limit).
• Watch hawkers at robots. They often have a hawker who indicates the car to another hawker who is further up the street.
• Drive by. Drive past your house. Make sure no one is following you. Be wary of vehicles sitting in the road and loitering people.
• Ensure that there are no hiding places at your gate / garage. (Trees and shrubs etc)
• Have your panic button close at hand. (Some security companies allow for "greet" services where they will meet you at your house.
• Check on the behavior of the dogs. They would show if something is untoward.
• Try to have electronic gates which would eliminate getting out of the vehicle.

BASIC HOME SECURITY MEASURES

• Be careful when something attracts your attention outside your house. (The ploy of setting the gate motor alight may have evolved from the trick used by criminals to attract farmers from their homes during farm attacks. Do not run blindly outside to put out the fire.)
• Check the behavior of your dogs.
• If at night, turn off the lights inside your house before looking out the windows. Make sure you have external lights shining AWAY from the house.
• Keep you garden neat and tidy.
• Ensure you check your security panic button once a month. (Please phone the security company when running a test.)
• Make sure the external council electrical box is locked.
• Make sure your property is numbered correctly.
• Be aware of bogus people at your gate. Check ID of council workers etc, you can phone to confirm they are who they say they are.
• Be careful when you notice loitering strangers, people asking for work, signs of entry (damage to gates, post boxes etc), the attitude of servants, unscheduled visits and odd occurrences, taps left running, dogs missing etc.

Under-Insurance

Under-insurance pitfalls...

South Africans are chronically underinsured, new research shows, and are putting themselves at serious financial risk.

According to research completed by short-term insurer Santam, some 40 percent of short-term insurance policyholders are under-insured by up to 45 percent.

Santam says, "This means in terms of the insurance contract, a policyholder will only receive partial compensation after submitting an insurance claim".

Hit by a burglary
As an example, if the replacement value of your house contents comes to R200 000, but the sum insured is just R110 000 and during a burglary R20 000 worth of goods are stolen, only R11 000 will be paid out to you.

This is because you are underinsured by 45 percent and therefore only 55 percent of the loss is paid out.

No-one wants to come up with cash when they are experiencing a traumatic time. Under-insurance can put people under severe financial strain.

The problem is that most people fall into the trap of under-insurance because they are unaware of the main pitfalls.

Insuring your entire home?
Due to the fact that crime is top of mind for many when insuring, you often insure only for what you think may be stolen in the event of a burglary. Insurance will however cover you for far more than crime, so it's not a bad idea to insure for what it would cost you to replace everything you own should your house burn down in a fire.

Not insuring your assets at the correct replacement value is one of the main mistakes people make. The sofa that you bought five years ago for R1 500 might now cost R3 000 to replace. The contents of a house are insured at replacement value (vehicles are insured at either market or retail value). Therefore, you have to revise your policy at least annually to make sure that your cover remains adequate.

Policyholders should also immediately add new purchases and gifts to their policy.

When insuring the actual bricks and mortar of your home (homeowners insurance), bear in mind the current day building costs, since it is those costs that will be incurred when repairing damage to your home.

Only in South Africa

There are no words to add to this story, without the photos, no-one from anywhere in the world will believe this is possible!

This Toyota Tazz was stolen. It was then in an accident.

3 cows were found inside (also stolen) --- tied up and squashed in!

See the photos below.

When the cows were removed the vehicle appeared --- rear seat and front passenger seat had been removed to fit the cattle in!

The last photo shows the 3 cows after their release --- remarkably unscathed.

Only in South Africa!