While the SAPS have made incredible strides in combating crime in South Africa, residential burglary a
nd robberies are still major problems that see thousands of homes ransacked and residents traumatised every year. Home invasion is an intensely personal attack, an invasion of our privacy and an affront to our sense of security and wellbeing. In short, when intruders enter our homes, we feel violated.
A major component of the distress we feel after our homes have been burgled, is the prevailing sense of helplessness. But this need not always be the case. Centurion Systems, a leading South African gate automation and access control company, shares some tips below on how we can better safeguard ourselves and significantly minimise the likelihood of home invasion.
1.Be Vigilant
Most readers have no-doubt heard the expression “prevention is better than cure”, and this philosophy certainly rings true when it comes to effective intruder detection.
Any suspicious activity in the vicinity of your house should be reported immediately to the polic
e or your local armed response company. Even if you have the slightest inkling that the loiterers in front of your gate might be up to no good, notify the authorities and rest easy in the knowledge that you might just have spared you and your family the trauma of being burgled.
2.Intruder Detection
In this instance, as with so many facets of modern life, technology is your friend. CENTURION has developed a range of innovative gate automation devices for bringing perimeter security to the home front. The D-Series range of gate motors, for example, incorporates the revolutionary Intruder-detection Alarm feature-set which can be interfaced with standard infrared safety beams and set to give an audible output whenever the beams are interrupted. This feature-set, which consists of the Ambush Alarm and Break-in Alarm, can also be relayed to a security company for a comprehensive perimeter protection infrastructure.
3.Keep Your Driveway Well-lit
While criminals have undeniably become bolder in their efforts to get their hands on our possessions, the majority of them still operate under cover of darkness. A well-lit driveway should go a long way towards ensuring that there is no devious activity taking place at the entrance to your property. In addition, crime statistics do seem to indicate that the driveway is the setting for a disconcerting number of attacks on homeowners, with opportunistic criminals often hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce.
Some modern gate motors, such as those manufactured by CENTURION, make provision for the connection of Pillar Lights which can be configured to switch on the moment that the motor is activated, bathing your driveway in light and hopefully driving away any unwanted nocturnal visitors.
4.Keep Your Gate Motor Secure
If the gate is the final bastion between us and the outside world, then a gate motor is its armour, working in tandem with the gate to create a formidable barrier while also providing supreme convenience and functionality. Unfortunately, an alarming trend has emerged of late whereby criminals prise open gate motors in order to steal the lead-acid batteries inside, or they simply remove the entire unit from its foundation plate and abscond with it. This has become a real problem in suburban neighbourhoods, with some properties being targeted two or three times over the course of a month.
But, once again, being prepared is half the battle won. It is recommended that a reliable theft-resistant cage from a reputable gate automation manufacturer, is fitted. These theft-resistant cages fit snugly over installed gate motors and, when secured with a high-quality padlock, will go a long way towards minimising the likelihood of your operator being stolen or otherwise tampered with.
5.Be Well-informed
“Education is the movement from darkness to light”, said Allan Bloom – and there are a number of things we can do to make that pivotal transition. Joining a neighbourhood block watch, or simply keeping an eye on your local newspaper for current crime trends in your neighbourhood, will help you always be in the know when it comes to keeping criminals off your property. The notion that crooks are always one step ahead is a pure fallacy and, with the right tools and know-how, you’ll always be firmly in the lead.
There are also more palpable means of being well-informed. GSM devices such as the CENTURION G-SWITCH-22 can be configured to send a text message to your mobile phone whenever your infrared safety beams are interrupted, or even when your alarm is triggered at home. This is intruder detection at its most intuitive.
Contact
www.centsys.com
