Christmas in July is a lucrative concept for retailers as they create a buzz around the traditional season with specials and promotions six months early.
Keep this shopping spree buzz at the shops, though, warns Charnel Hattingh, Head of Marketing and Communications at the Fidelity Services Group, and do not allow July to be a lucrative shopping-spree month for criminals in your home.
Examples of things that make a house an easy target:. Inadequate perimeter security: low walls, no walls or gates that are easy to open.. Poor lighting: no garden lights, sensor lights or working street lights.. Vulnerable entrances: garage doors directly on the roadside, long, narrow driveways, pedestrian gates onto the property, manual gates/garages.. Gates/doors frequently left open.. No sign of dogs on the property.. No armed reaction security service boards on the walls.. Property is frequently unoccupied.. Domestic staff have remotes and house keys.. Tools, bicycles, garden furniture not locked away and visible from the road.. Vehicles parked outside.
Ways to make you house unattractive to criminals with a taste for free shopping:. Secure your perimeter: it is your first line of defence. Electric fencing, beams and proper gates and walls are certainly not attractive to criminals. . Install proper lighting outside and when you are not there make sure you can remotely control lighting or get someone to switch on lights and close curtains each evening.. Lock garden tools, bicycles, toys and braai equipment away or store out of sight. Bring your bin in after rubbish collection. Bins, ladders and even overhanging branches give criminals a handy means to get over your wall.. Park vehicles in a locked garage; keep garage doors closed.. Form a neighbourhood watch for your suburb or a street watch with your neighbours. ensure everyone is on a security WhatsApp group that is well managed and where tips, trends and incidents can be shared. . Keep your neighbourhood clean: ensure your property and the suburb in general looks cared for. Illegal dumping or structures, acts of vandalism, vagrants and broken street lights should be reported and dealt with through the relevant authorities. . Have a strict no strangers allowed on the property policy that extends to your domestic staff when they are home alone.
