Our patrol cars - note the new look Yaris!
Click here to view a Hijack Awareness document.
Click here for latest Crime Brief from the Honeydew SAPS
12th February 2010
| Designation | Name |
| Chairperson | Kim Myburgh |
| Deputy Chairperson | Gretchen van den Berg |
| Treasurer | Modified Shavhani |
| Secretary | Lisa Myburgh |
| George Pappas | |
| Greg Pearce | |
| Kevin Thomson | |
| Kevin van Morkerken | |
| Victor Mafinya | |
| Volker Hoffmeister |
The
RRVA is a Residents' Association not a security company.
We contract a security company to patrol pro-actively in our area, residents may
also choose to contract the company to provide personal monitoring and armed
response service at a reduced rate. Currently DCS/Bestsecure Armed
response is the company contracted to patrol in the area. They are paid by the
RRVA (YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS).
The contract states that we have a dedicated vehicle in the area at all times
and that there are two response officers in the vehicle. RRVA members are
given the dedicated cell number for the vehicle as well as the control room. In
the event of a problem you may call and ask for assistance. For a
specially negotiated, reduced fee (in addition to your RRVA subscription) you
may link up to DCS/Bestsecure armed response. A radio will then be connected to
your alarm system to notify the DCS/Bestsecure control room.
Electric fences
Make sure that if you have an electric fence, it is in working order and linked
to your armed response company. The fence alarm must register as a fence alarm
at the response company, so in the event of an activation the company will know
it is the fence. This will help the response company react to the situation in
the appropriate manner.
Outdoor Alarm Systems
OUTDOOR SENSORS DO NOT FUNCTION OPTIMALLY DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS because of the
nature of the wild life in South Africa. Outdoor alarms often falsely trigger
during the day. Other than that, we recommend that the outdoor beams and
passives only be used at night when you are home, thus safe guarding your lives.
Remember, things can be replaced, lives can’t.
Alarms
Alarms need to be tested on a regular basis. Please contact the control room and
ask to be put on test. Trigger the panic and make sure that a panic signal
is received, then set off the alarm and make sure an alarm signal is received.
Alarm batteries should be replaced every two years, this may be more frequent if
we have experienced significant periods of load shedding.
Gate Motors
Ensure that the gate motors have an anti-theft bracket on them so that the cover
cannot be removed, the battery stolen, or worse still, the gate triggered to
open. It is also important to ensure that the gate cannot be lifted and opened,
or that the rack cannot be “jimmied” open.
Lighting
Hats off to the residents of Tolbos and Gardenia Streets. They have worked
together to make ensure that all the houses have lights on the front wall. The
street is incredibly bright and unattractive to potential thieves. If you are in
a position to add lighting to your exterior wall we recommend at least 3. They
don’t have to be that bright, energy saver globes or LED’s are acceptable.
Lights should not be mounted on top of the wall because they create shadows to
hide in, ensure that you mount the lights on the front of the wall.
Try to ensure your front garden has subtle lighting, so that you can see what is
happening in the garden.
IT IS SAFER NOT TO VENTURE OUTSIDE IF YOU HEAR AN ODD NOISE, call
the DCS/Bestsecure vehicle and ask them to come and patrol your garden.
IF
THE WORST HAPPENS
Read this carefully.
- Don’t try and be the hero!
- Put your hands up in the air; hands are open and exposed.
- Look at the floor don’t try and look at the assailants face. This could be considered a threatening gesture and might provoke the attacker.
- Agree with everything they ask, remembering not to look at them directly.
- Tell them they can take what they want, just not to hurt you, or your family, and that you won’t try anything.
- Try to stay calm, if you are calm the attackers will draw from this and see you as less of a threat. Remember that the attackers are nervous and will react excessively to any move perceived as a threat.
- When your ordeal is over, call 10111 and the armed response company. Provide them with all the detail you can, name, address, make and registration of your car(s), if they have been stolen.
- If your vehicle was taken during the incident and has a tracker system, call the company and activate the tracker.
- Always have a list of assets, and the documents pertaining to them, proof of purchase or warranty. This will help the police if they ever find the goods. It will also help with your insurance claim. Don’t give the Police any documents. You will need these.
- Call the insurance company/ Broker, and inform them of the robbery.
- Call your cell provider and ask them to block your phone (keep a record of the IMEI number (inside your phone under the battery) in your documentation file.
- Call the bank and cancel your bank cards if they have been stolen. The bank cannot hold you liable if you inform them of the theft, and the cards are used. Again, keep a record of the card numbers in a file.
- Call the RRVA and let us assist you in getting things back to normal. If the kids are traumatized we can help. We can also arrange to post a guard at your home for the evening.
If you are unsure about any of the above information you
are welcome to contact Greg at
security@rrva.net to give you advice.
Community Support
Some residents may have noticed the RRVA Bakkie that has been patrolling our streets since the middle of December last year. We are proud to announce that the constant presence of Kobie in the vehicle has been a contributing factor in the decrease of daytime incidents in the area.
