Hindsight is not something you want to refer to when it comes to personal and home security.
To ensure you have no regrets about your family’s safety and that of your personal possessions you must be security conscious 100% of the time and never leave a gap for criminals to get what they want.
So says Charnel Hattingh, Group Head of Marketing and Communications at Fidelity ADT, who added there is always room for improvement when it comes to vigilance and security systems.
“Vigilance is a heightened and trained awareness of your surroundings and security routines,” she says. “To be effective vigilance is solely reliant on you not dropping your guard.
“Likewise, your home security systems can only play their role if you use them the way they are meant to be used, and routinely so.”
A good example, Hattingh points out, is a quick trip to the shop. You rush out with the food cooking on the stove to the corner garage shop without arming the house alarm.
“People even leave their children home alone for a few minutes in a situation such as this, without arming outside beams, for example. Chances are windows and doors may not be as secure as possible either since you have been unwinding. Those few minutes you are away from home are just the gap any opportunistic criminal needs. It can take less than a minute or two to get onto a property, reach through or break a window and steal something.
“If the kids went with you to the shop they may have left their bikes in the driveway, another quick gain for a passing criminal.”
She urges people to always ensure their security system is in tip-top shape. This means checking the battery life on your alarm system and outdoor beams and ensuring that sensor lights and panic buttons are working properly.
“It is prudent to ask your security provider to do a thorough once-over of your home security and to advise you of any vulnerable areas so that you can get these addressed as soon as possible,” said Hattingh.
“Rather be safe than sorry. A minute’s hesitation about arming the alarm or locking up properly can cost you dearly. Avoid this regret by making security a priority every day and for everyone in the family.”
