- Test your alarm before you go on holiday, however notify the monitoring centre beforehand. Contact your local monitoring centre and inform them that you are testing your alarm system. Confirm with the monitoring centre that it has received your alarm signal. Finally confirm with the monitoring centre that your alarm system is off testing mode.
- If your alarm is faulty, don’t leave it to the last minute to request a technician to come out and check your system.
- Inform Chubb of any additional key holders staying in your area for the holi-days. We will need to contact them in the event of an emergency and in the event of needing access to your property.
- Suspend newspaper and magazine deliveries.
- Ask someone to clear out your postbox on a regular basis.
- Consider asking a friend or family member to house-sit for you or to visit your home on a regular basis.
- Ensure that your house-sitter knows how to operate your alarm system. In addition, forward us your house-sitter’s details, to prevent them from being mistaken as an unwelcome intruder.
- Don’t advertise that you are going away. Preferably pack your luggage into your vehicle behind closed garage doors.
- Do not leave notes on the door, underneath the doormat or in the post box to indicate that you are away.
- Consider hiring casual guards to monitor your property or business for the duration of your holiday. They provide great visible security presence and are an effective crime deterrent.
- Plan your route so that you avoid lonely and predictably unsavoury or dangerous areas.
- If you are unsure of your destination and route, spend time planning it from a road map before you depart.
- Inform someone where you are going, of your anticipated time of arrival, time of return and contact procedures. If travelling in darkness, indicate the route you will be taking.
- Becoming a victim of crime while on holiday will not only spoil your holiday, but will also prove to be a nuisance when it comes to having to report the incident to the local police station.
- Any documents giving your name and address or those of your family
- Firearms
- Vehicle and house keys
- Cheque books and credit cards
- •ellphones
- Compact Discs
- Do not stop to help anyone on the road, especially if you are alone. Instead, go to the nearest safe telephone and call the police for assistance.
- Be aware that SOS telephones on lonely stretches of road are not usually safe telephones because criminals could lay in wait for desperate users.
- Do not stop if another motorist indicates to you that your vehicle has a fault. Instead, go to the nearest service station or police station to investigate. An alternative would be to stop next to a traffic officer or police vehicle and ask them for assistance.
- Do not stop for another car even if it has flashing lights. Travel to the nearest police station or illuminated service station and stop there.
- Be aware that wearing expensive jewellery and sunglasses and having attractive items visible on the car seats and the dashboard will probably prompt criminals to break into your car and snatch them.
