from the
HORSE'S
MOUTH
Every dinner party you attend you hear about the latest fail-safe
security innovations, only to be told next moment about some
smart crook who bypassed those so-called impenetrable barriers.
It seems that there’s no absolutely fool-proof, burglar-proof product
or process that ensures a hundred per cent that you will never fall
victim to home robbery.
Even banks and jewellery
stores get robbed
despite super high-tech
security because – and
here’s the crux – the reward is
sufficiently attractive.
But hanging around and doing nothing while fence jumping
becomes our national sport is most definitely not the answer.
So how do you go about securing your home? Simple. Ask
the experts. And who are the experts? The security companies?
Insurance companies? The police? Your brother-in-law? Your
hairdresser? Yes, and no. All of the above have valuable
information and advice to give, but the real experts are … the
house robbers themselves.
Professor Rudolph Zinn, a criminologist and former police
officer with extensive experience in the field, consults to police
departments in South Africa and abroad, and lectures at UNISA’s
College of Law. In 2006 and 2007 he conducted in-depth
interviews with 30 convicted house robbers, and wrote up the
findings in a book called "Home Invasion". It’s a bit of a scary
read, but full of really useful information. The most important thing
that he found out is that there are no absolutely foolproof rules,
only guidelines. But in the absence of absolutes, guidelines are
very useful indeed.
Firstly – remember that criminals are human beings with feelings
and needs. And chances are they don’t care about your needs.
What that boils down to is that most criminals will do anything
to avoid being caught, and almost anything to get what they
want. For them house robbery is a business – so, like all good
entrepreneurs, they want to maximise profit and minimise risk. This
means they choose their targets carefully and plan the operation
in detail to maximise the chances of success and minimise the
chances of getting caught.
Obviously the best scenario is to never actually deal with a home
robber at all, so let’s start with how they choose targets.