• If a robber asks for your handbag or moon bag, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you: he is probably more interested in your bag than you and he will go for the bag. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION! 
• ALWAYS take the lift instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.)
• Do not put your handbag in the supermarket trolley. Keep it attached to you with a strap, hanging as near to the front of you as possible [in line sight], especially at the check-out.

GETTING INTO YOUR CAR

• Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, check the back seat.
• Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the shop, or work, and get a guard or policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.
• If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger side. Many attackers surprise their victims by pulling them into their vans while they are attempting to get into their cars.
• People have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping and just sit (making a phone call or making a list). DON'T DO THIS! A predator could be watching you. This is an opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side and attack you. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS. 

IF YOU ARE EVER THROWN INTO THE BOOT OF A CAR: 

Kick out a back taillight and stick your arm through the hole and start waving. 

The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This tip has saved lives.

• IF THE PREDATOR HAS A GUN and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator is only likely to hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN! 
• If running away is not an option do not engage with the predator. If eg your car is being hijacked, throw down the keys and walk slowly away backwards.
• A tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point of your body. If you are close enough to use it, DO. 

WHEN YOU ARE AWAY

There are many tell-tale signs when occupants are away, such as accumulated mail in the post-box, newspapers in the driveway, the house in darkness in the early evening and so on. So remember:

• Stop newspaper deliveries;
• Get a neighbour to clear your mailbox;
• Buy a light timer switch and program it to switch on a couple of lamps in the front room at sunset and off again at 11:15 p.m.;
• Ask your neighbours to keep a watchful eye on your property;
• Give thought to whom you should leave your contact details while you are away. 
  

All too many incidences of thefts of motor vehicles and thefts out of motor vehicles are due to negligence on the part of the driver.

Our police report finding unlocked cars left parked in the street overnight, particularly in Parkhurst. Shoppers who “just popped into the shop for a few minutes” are often surprised to find their unlocked cars missing. Thieves today need “only a few minutes” to snap a steering lock and hotwire a car.

You can help the police, and yourself, by observing some common sense do’s & don’ts:

WHILE DRIVING

• Keep all doors locked;
• Keep windows closed, or closed enough in non air-conditioned cars, to stop unwelcome hands grabbing your Ray bans and necklaces;
• Keep handbags, briefcases, cellphones and packages out of sight, especially at stop streets and robots;
• Don’t open your window to help a beggar or a vendor when you are stopped in traffic, no matter how genuine and “nice” they may seem;
• Keep checking your rear view mirror to be aware of suspicious-looking characters who may be following you, especially if you have shopping or have drawn money from an ATM;
• When approaching your home, make sure there are no unwelcome loiterers or vehicles near your gate. If there are, drive past and circle the block until you are satisfied it is safe to open your gates. 

INSIDE YOUR PROPERTY

• Check that there is no unauthorised person waiting to meet you; 
• Close your gates immediately; 
• Close the car windows completely; 
• If you have to leave your car in the driveway, remove the radio face if it is possible to do so; lock the car and activate the immobiliser and alarm.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 

On investigating cases of housebreaking, still a major problem in our precinct, the police have found that many incidents are as a result of negligence by the occupier.

Please observe the following precautions that have been identified as contributors to this type of crime:

• Keep bathroom windows closed at night and when leaving home – even for a quick visit to the supermarket; and don’t leave a laptop near an open window.
• How well do you know your gardener? Verify his identity and place of domicile and ask for next-of-kin details. This applies to your domestic worker as well, and weekly gardeners and casual labourers who seem to have caused some serious problems recently; make a copy of the ID or at least note the ID number.
• If you are having alterations done to your home, PLEASE ensure the legitimacy of the builders and labourers through the contractor (and make sure you have the contractor’s full name and address). There are any number of illegal immigrants working for minimum wages by irresponsible contractors.

ANONYMITY enables criminality

• If you have purchased a major capital item such as a DVD recorder, TV, music centre, microwave etc. DON’T leave the packaging outside your gate for Mondi or Piki Tup to collect. You are inviting passing unwelcome visitors into your home to remove the item. This will be more important at Christmas time. 

CRIME REPORTING

• IN ANY EMERGENCY PHONE 10111 alternatively you can phone PARKVIEW POLICE AT 486 5000, but remember the station lines may be busy and there could be a delay.
• PLEASE REPORT ANY CRIME, no matter how insignificant. Statistics are needed to improve the performance by SAPS. If you think the offence is too petty and you don’t want the ‘bother of going to the station to make a statement’, please e-mail: PARKVIEW-SAPS@saps.org.za

Thank you!