Boskruin, Jukskei Park, Randburg, Edenburg, Sandton, Gallo Manor, Illovo, Parkmore, Morningside, JHB North, Rivonia and East Gate all have one thing in common – they are all areas being hit by criminals just before scheduled power outages.
Wily criminals are taking advantage of the load shedding interruptions to break into resident’s homes. According to Fidelity ADT, there have been 15 incidents over the last 3 months in the above areas. Bongani Qebengu, Regional Armed Response Manager Central Region for Fidelity ADT says the modus operandi is similar in all these incidents. “The suspects look at the power outage schedule and then an hour before the scheduled power cut they trip the electricity at the electric box, disarm the electric fence and often derail the electric gate and then burgle the property. Unsuspecting residents are caught off guard thinking it is just an earlier outage than planned for.”
He says it is important never to let your guard down and if your electricity does go off unexpectedly, you need to be especially vigilant.
He lists some safety habits to remember:
- Lock all doors and windows all the time. This applies to your house, your vehicle and any outbuildings on your property. This applies whether you are at home or not.
- Keep valuable items out of sight. Never leave keys, wallets, cellphones or any other small items on a table or anywhere close to a window.
- If you are worried about your security when there is no power, call your private security provider to check the premises.
- Do not ignore SMS messages that refer to low battery.
- Make sure that your alarm batteries are working optimally, if you aren’t sure call your security provider to test
- Make sure that your electric fences are connected to a backup battery