Safety – Match v

Home robbery and housebreaking are among the most frightening and dangerous crimes to experience. It is frightening because it violates our private space and the one place that we think of as our sanctuary.

According to the latest report released by Statistics South Africa, Exploring the extent of and circumstances surrounding housebreaking/burglary and home robbery, the general crime rate in terms of the proportion of households that experience crime has been declining during the last five years.

This reality, however, has not quelled the growing perception that crime is on the increase in South Africa, the stats body said.

Over 50% of all crimes experienced by households in South Africa in 2015/16 were housebreaking. Home robbery (11.9%) was the second most common type of crime experienced by South African households.

Whites had the highest rates of victimisation compared to other groups both in 2011 and 2015/16.

However, whites experienced the sharpest decline of household related crimes during the five years, from 17% to 12% of households.

“Home robbery” is regarded as a violent crime because people are at home when it takes place, as compared to “housebreaking” (burglary), which occurs when the family is away from home. Home robbery fuels fear in communities, because it puts people at risk of personal injury and emotional trauma in their homes, where they should feel safest.

Housebreaking and home robbery peaked during the months of March and June in both 2014/15 and 2015/16.

The months during which these crimes were least likely to occur were January, May and November. As found in previous Victims of Crime Surveys, night-time is still the most preferred time for crime incidents, StatsSA said.

Knowing the low and high periods of the year for crime activity and times of the day when crime is likely to happen may be useful in planning security strategies for households, and
for planning deployment of resources on the part of the police, StatsSA said.

Respondents who experienced housebreaking and those who experienced home robbery were asked about the time that the crime took place–whether it was in the morning, afternoon or at night.

The option “Don’t know” was also given to the respondents in case they did not know the time when the crime incident happened.

Electrical equipment were the most targeted items during both housebreakings and home robberies. Jewellery, money and cellphones were the second most common items stolen after electrical equipment during both housebreakings and home robberies.

According to the report, the rate of reporting home robberies to the police was significantly higher than that of housebreaking; possibly because home robbery tends to be accompanied with violence.

However, the rates for the arrest of the alleged offenders in housebreakings
and home robberies are not significantly different –both stand at just over 18%.

The conviction rate among those arrested was 14.3% for housebreaking and 22% for home robbery. Among those arrested for housebreaking, the case was still on going in 9.2% of the cases for housebreaking and 14.8% of the cases for home robbery.

An arrest is made in only one out of every five reported cases of housebreaking or home robbery. Only one in five people arrested for housebreaking was convicted, and one in three people arrested for home robbery was convicted.

According to the UK’s Home Office Statistics, home owners are twice as likely to be burgled within 12 months of moving homes.

“In South Africa, it is more than likely that this is true as home owners are unfamiliar with the ‘weak’ spots in their home security,” says Mary-Jane Lefevre; call centre manager at ooba (formerly MortgageSA).

“Safety will always be a priority in South Africa,” says Lefevre. “Securing your home should be one of the first things you do when you move into a new home.”

When moving into a new home ‘act like a skelm’ suggests Lefevre.

“Carefully case out your new home as a potential target,” says Lefevre. “Try all the access points such as gates, windows, doors and even the roof to see if there are any potential entries.”

The most valuable asset a burglar has is time, so any preventative measure installed to delay his entrance is beneficial.

“Tidy up your garden,” says Lefevre. “Having a tidy, trim garden will make it more difficult for anyone to hide effectively.”

Home owners can also consider using solar lights to light up garden dark spots.

“These are cheap, and don’t run off electricity,” says Lefevre. “Bright sensor lights can also light up large areas if they detect movement.”

Anything that makes a noise is advantageous. Install a good sensor alarm and test it regularly and have it linked to a

Outside beams and electric fences are also effective security measures. However check with your security company what will happen in the event of load shedding. Burglars can take advantage of load shedding times as these are published in advance in the press.

“Go and meet the new neighbours,” suggests Lefevre. “Offer to watch their place in return for them keeping an eye on yours and report any suspicious activity. It may also be an idea to motivate a security guard for your street; if everyone participates it need not be a costly exercise.”

It is very important to not only secure your home but also be aware of your surroundings when entering and leaving your home.

“Home owners should be aware that many of these burglaries are opportunistic,” comments Lefevre. “Although you may be relaxing at home always ensure that the entrances are secured, never open the door without checking the person’s identity first and don’t take it for granted that the person at the door is who they say they are.”

Even if your door has a safety chain on it, don’t open it if you are not sure of who is there. It is very easy to use force to open a door that is on a safety chain.”

Ensure that you check with the previous owners if there are keys which may be with other parties,” suggests Lefevre. “Better still, change the locks, this way you can be sure that no one else has the keys and always keep your car and house keys with you in your bedroom at night.”

Having a secure home will not only protect you and your family but will also add value to your home. South Africans are security conscious and a property that appears to be unsecure will immediately be perceived as less valuable.

“One of the first questions potential buyers ask is ‘is the property secure’.” Prevention is vital in the fight against crime,” says Lefevre. “Securing your home is crucial for your own peace of mind and the future safety of you and your family.”

This is when your home is most likely to be broken into in South Africa

Pretend to be a skelm and secure your home against burglars