BEWARE!
BURGLARIES ON THE INCREASE
How to improve security and minimize losses. By Michelle Wolmarans, MD- NFB Insurance Brokers.
uring the months of December and January the level of
Dresidential burglaries reported to
NFB Insurance Brokers increased significantly. The majority of claims submitted to our claims department had the following common characteristics:
= The family had left their house unoccupied as they had gone away on holiday.
= The dwelling was fitted with a linked alarm system.
= The alarm system was activated by the insured when they departed on holiday.
= The alarm system did not activate when the perpetrators gained entry to the premises.
It is evident that the burglaries in the suburbs of East London have become more calculated and organized. Information from the police confirm that there are definite syndicates operating in this area. These syndicates normally consist of a minimum of 4 well-dressed males operating from vehicles( often luxury type vehicles) that are often changed to avoid suspicion. They observe the day-to-day routine of various households and have a good technical knowledge of alarm systems. They target very specific items like electronic goods and jewellery.
The modus operandi of the syndicates is to seek out unprotected sections of the home such as bathrooms, passages and spare bedrooms where passives are often not installed. They gain entry via this point and will then utilise various methods to move undetected to the main alarm board. Entry may also be gained via the roof as many houses do not install passives in the roof area. Once the main alarm board is reached it is disabled in such a way that no signal is sent to the alarm company. The would-be burglars can then move undetected throughout the house without hindrance.
In certain instances they do not deactivate the main alarm board, but rather conceal their body heat by wearing wet suits or wrapping themselves in duvets or blankets. Traditional passive sensors do not detect movement, but rather a change in the temperature in its field of view. New anti-cloak sensors have been developed to combat this.
SENSIBLY SECURE
What can you do to improve your security and prevent / minimise the loss? ü Replace your traditional passives with anticloaking passives; ü Install passives in ALL areas of your house; ü Install beams around your house; ü If you are going away employ a reliable housesitter to stay in your house; do not leave it unoccupied; ü Lock all inter-leading doors; ü Make sure your safe keys are hidden; ü Install passives in your roof; ü Install magnetic contacts onto key areas; ü Install electric fencing and CCTV cameras; ü Install an alarm cage panel; ü Link your alarm system to your smart phone, as this provides you with remote control of your system.
We believe that it is imperative to contact your alarm company and discuss the various mechanisms that can be installed in order to ensure that your security system cannot be bypassed and that should unauthorised entry be gained to your dwelling that the signal will be transmitted to the alarm company so that they can respond.
Important information that will be required by insurance companies in respect of burglary claims is:
= Proof that your alarm was activated if your policy is subject to the burglar alarm warranty;
= Police case number;
= Valuation certificates in respect of any jewellery that is stolen( must be dated prior to the loss);
= Proof of ownership in respect of electronic equipment. This can take the form of invoices, ownership manuals, packaging, etc.
If you require any advice or assistance in respect of your insurance, please do not hesitate to contact our office on 043-7352460.
Thank you to Ross Hartwig for his input and the technical information which he provided that is included in this article. i n s u r a n c e b r o k e r s( b o r d e r)( p t y) l t d. sensible finance Mar17
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