Margaret Kriel - Letters from Zimbabwe

Morning Mirror 55 - 27th June 2003

In this edition

Home Safety
Congratulations
Condolences
Tidbits
Too cold for Movies !!

I am a Veteran Comrades Marathon Spectator

Comrades 2003 - by Joanne Kriel

We are becoming alarmingly concerned by the high numbers of house robberies. Here are some tips for you to try and remember.

Keep your gates closed and locked at all times.
Do not allow ANYONE onto your property.
Your domestics should have a telephone number for them to contact you if they are uncertain about who to let in.
If Police want to come in, you should get their names, station, and number and then phone the station to confirm their ID's. DONT let them in until these have been confirmed.
Do not allow your domestics to have keys to the house, you are setting them up for the robbers.
Keep front and back doors locked during the day where possible.
Check that your alarm system is working every 10 days.
All entry and exit doors must be locked around 5.00pm -5.30pm every day.
Many robberies take place in the early evening.
Remove and replace old rusty burglar bars and install good strong ones.
Ideally your bedroom areas should be sealed off from the living areas by sturdy metal grill doors, padlocked, and YOU keep the keys.
Make sure your cellphones are in the bedroom with you at night and not left lying around the house.
KNOW the number to call your local police and a neighbours number in case they have to go and fetch the cops.
Make sure all windows are shut when you retire for the night.
Have as many outside lights on as possible all night.
Dogs should sleep INSIDE the house.
Check that your alarm is ON when you go to bed, if you have relatives or children coming home late, MAKE A PLAN
Before you open the back door in the morning make sure no one is lurking outside.
If you must have verandah doors open in the evenings, install a metal grill gate so that no one can get in.
Mothers and others who get home at lunch time every day, try and change the times that you arrive, being so reliable and punctual every day of the week tells the robbers exactly when you'll be home.

Above all, if you suspect there are intruders in your home at night DO NOT GO AND INVESTIGATE, stay in your bedroom, lock the door and call for help. Get everyone into one bedroom if possible.

Having safes at home is no longer a good idea - these robbers are looking for money, jewelry, weapons, and electrical items.

This all seems painful and "do we really want to live like this" If we are going to live in Zimbabwe we have to take these precautions as do residents of many, many other countries.

By the way, 2 more people have been victims of robberies on the airport road after leaving the airport, windows smashed and bags snatched.

THINK & BE CAREFUL.
Mary van Heerden - Anti Hijack Trust