- It’s important to make prior security arrangements to have someone watch over your house while you are away to avert cases of burglary.
- Exercise situational awareness at all times, especially when using public transport to avoid being drugged and robbed.
Image: FILE
The festive season is here and with it comes increased criminal incidents that call for high precautions.
Police statistics show that crime rates traditionally go up during this period as criminals take advantage of increased social activities to commit opportunistic crimes like burglaries, pickpocketing, phone snatching or spiking.
Security analyst George Musamali says the first line of defence against most of these criminal activities is being conscious at all times about the environment you are in.
“You know we are living in dangerous times and home burglaries will increase. When you are at home, practice knowing your neighbours,” he said.
Musamali said with the festive season comes a lot of travelling with most people leaving for upcountry for days leaving no one to watch over the houses in towns.
“In most places, most people don’t know who is living next to them. People don’t take precautions, when they are leaving their houses, they can’t even inform their neighbours that they are travelling,” he said.
Musamali said it’s important to make prior security arrangements to have someone watch over your house while you are away to avert cases of burglary.
Incidents of houses being broken into in broad daylight have been previously reported with neighbours on most occasions saying they heard the commotion or saw household goods being carted away but they assumed the owner was moving house.
“I would encourage people to form neighbourhood watch groups,” he said.
On the day of travel, Musamali advises against carrying expensive items with you like jewellery or laptops which make you an easy target for criminals.
He said you should also exercise situational awareness at all times, especially when using public transport to avoid being drugged and robbed.
“In most cases, people travelling long distances get to a point where they need to relieve themselves and if they have bottled water, they leave it behind and it’s halfway. You should avoid such. You don’t know who is sitting next to you,” he said.
Musamali cautions against accepting food items from strangers as they may be laced with drugs that can disorient you and have you robbed.
“If you want to eat, go to a hotel. When you are out, also avoid sitting with or drinking with people you don’t know. Avoid leaving your drinks unattended, this goes especially to men because I have never seen a woman being drugged,” he said.
When driving, defensive driving instructor Kevin Mugo said you should plan your journey and know your primary and secondary routes.
He advised against driving at night at high speeds especially on roads you are unfamiliar with.
“For emphasis, let nobody go on a journey with a car they are not familiar with especially car hire vehicles which are usually delivered on the morning of travel. Try and get as much information about the vehicle as possible from the people lending you the vehicle,” he said.
Mugo said you should also pack all the necessary items like a spare wheel, jack leaver, wheel spanner, spotlight, driving licence and water and food, especially when travelling far or with children.
“Sometimes people get stuck in the middle of nowhere with no help because of very small reasons. You get a puncture and your spare tire has no pressure,” Mugo said.
“And when on the journey, it’s important not to put yourself under pressure. You are not in competition with anyone. You don’t need to race with anyone to prove that your car is better than theirs.”
Before taking the journey, Mugo said it’s also vital to ensure you are well-rested by sleeping for at least eight hours to avert fatigue.
He said driving is an energy-intensive task that requires 100 per cent concentration at all times to avert road crashes.
“For every two hours of driving, it’s recommended that you stop for at least 15 minutes for mental and body relaxation. You can also use this time to check whether your car is still in good condition, like if you are running on the right pressure,” Mugo said.
At all times, he said, one should obey all traffic rules including one that requires you to drive at below 20 kilometres per hour.
“Don’t ignore those little details, the signs were put there for a reason. The road could be clear but the road infrastructure is bad for high speed,” he said.