Friendly Advice for all townhouse residents

South Africa has a very high unbearable crime rate and it is now the target of townhouse owners and residents. In this article you will be warned about the dangers and new improved methods on how to prevent being a victim. Suburbs that are currently on the target are Randburg, Roodepoort, Krugersdorp, Sandton, Midrand and Pretoria. One of the main factors why people tend to live in townhouses is for the security, considering the high boundary walls, the electric fence, the electric gate and sometimes security personnel. Burglars are now coming with ideas on how to gain access to such beefed up security townhouses. They will pretend to be the electrical meter guy who came to take readings, they can be the odd handyman called out for a piece job or even something silly as they came to pick up some clothing donations from a certain unit knowing that there is no one at home. They also work in syndicates and are given inside information from your ordinary temporary gardener or maid. Autogate security (www.autogate.co.za) will give you some tips on how to prevent yourself from falling to become a victim of crime. This information is to keep you, your loved ones and your assets safe.

·         A resident buzzes someone in at the gate without checking who they are or what they want. Always confirm who the visitor is.

·         A resident´s “friend” is given the gate code to enter and exit the complex at will. All secure codes should be treated as confidential.

·         A resident uses a brick to keep a side gate ajar as the intercom is broken and visitors are expected. Ensure that security related systems are in good working order.

·         The would-be intruder steals a remote control for the gate. Always keep remote controls in secure places.

·         The intruder sneaks in the gate when residents don´t wait for it to shut before driving off. Be alert at all times and wait for gates to close before driving off

·         The intruder could reside inside the complex. Alert neighbours are important!

Another possibility is that, although the front of a townhouse complex is secure, the other perimeter walls might not be so well protected.

Did you know that if you live on the outside borders of a security complex and you have the boundary wall with electric fence as security that at times your fence may not work properly? When the branches of a tree grown and tend to touch your fence, the security alarm system automatically goes off. The garden staff and caretaker will investigate what is causing the fault and can´t find out why it is happening, the system might be switched off completely leaving the whole complex vulnerable.”

Nowadays targeting electric fences seems to be the latest method that brazen thieves are using to gain perimeter access. It is believed that various other techniques are used to establish whether a resident is home or not, including ringing the door bell in early hours of the morning. Burglars tend to investigate and assess the situation of the place before moving in. When electric fencing is installed, the frame carrying the strands should be angled away from the protected area. If the strands are upright, thieves may be able to throw a heavy duty blanket over the wires and scramble across. Special attention should be given to the corners of secured walls as this could be a weak security spot. In order to prevent these bad people from succeeding, you may take precautions, such as activating the unit´s alarm if you are going out or to bed and remembering to close all windows. It is important to fully understand the workings of your alarm system and what it can do. If you don’t have an alarm system or it is faulty, visit our webpage for more info on affordable home alarm systems.

I certainly hope you found my article of very importance and for more information about security in townhouse, visit my website.

www.autogate.co.za

AUTHOR : KOBUS LABUSCHAGNE