IN LAST week's Flair, we offered some safety tips for female motorists who have to be on lonely roads at nights. This week we conclude with that will be useful at home and when out shopping.
AT HOME
Get to know your neighbours
Keep external doors and/or grill doors locked at all times. If possible, all external doors should be solid wood rather than hollow core wood doors.
Burglar bars on windows should always be installed inside. Where there are air conditioning units, the space occupied by those should be burglar-barred.
A pin-hole viewer in a front door is a good way to screen visitors before opening the door.
If you return home to find your door tampered with, do not enter or make an alarm. Borrow your neighbour's telephone and contact the police.
Helpers and gardeners should be properly screened before employment. When new ones are employed, references should be supplied and unexpected checks should be made at their home.
Do not leave ladders and tools outside as they can assist a burglar in breaking into your house.
If household chores are being done at the back of the premises, see to it that the front is secured or vice versa.
Never admit strangers. If necessary speak to them through an open window until proper identification is supplied.
Children should be told not to allow strangers to enter during the absence of their parents.
The authenticity of delivery and service personnel must be verified before allowing entry to your home. Helpers and children should be advised when repairmen are expected. Employ known repairmen, or those from established firms, whose identity can be checked by a telephone call.
Avoid high hedges and trim overgrown hedges and bushes near entrance ways or under windows.
Always make a keen observation of surroundings before entering driveways, especially at nights.
Most burglaries take place at nights so be sure to install adequate outside lighting and be sure to replace burnt out bulbs.
Do not leave house keys under door mats or in flower pots. Provide a key for each member of the household.
If you have an Intrusion Detection System at your home, arm same whenever leaving the house unoccupied or when going to bed. Motion detectors can be bypassed to allow you to arm the perimeter of the house even when occupants are moving around inside.
Uncollected mail and newspaper is a telltale sign that you are not home. If on vacation, have your mail and newspaper collected by a friend or neighbour so that would-be burglars won't know that you're away.
Install smoke detectors on ceilings or walls within 15 feet of each sleeping area and at least one on each floor of the home. A small fire extinguisher is a must in your kitchen.
If you see any suspicious person(s) on the outside of your home, or are awakened by any strange noises, alert the police immediately.
ON THE STREET
Walk on well-lit streets, and stay near the middle of the sidewalk.
Avoid clumps of bushes, abandoned buildings and other places of concealment.
When approaching your home, have your keys in your hand ready to open your door. Be aware of pedestrians or motor vehicles which may be following you. If you suspect that you are being followed then cross the street, scream and run to a lit business place or home.
If a car chases you, turn and run in the opposite direction that the car is travelling. It takes time to turn a car around - time you could use to get to safety.
When leaving your office and entering your vehicle, be aware of and alert to all activity around you.
WHEN SHOPPING
Hold your handbag close to your body, with your arm through the straps.
It is never wise to keep your purse in your handbag.
Avoid crowded areas if you can.
Do not display large quantities of cash in public.
Keep shopping at a manageable level to avoid confusion and loss of items.
Be careful about having strangers hold your parcels in shopping lines or on buses.
IF YOU ARE HELD UP
Do not panic - get a grip on yourself, breathe in and out and try to stay calm.
Do not resist.
Obey instructions.
Be alert - look for peculiar features - associate these with each of the robbers if there are more than one.
Some people take foolish risks - and most lose. If a robber threatens you with a gun, your chance of safely disarming him are small.
Your best protection is thinking out ahead of time what you would do under certain conditions.
