Pretoria - As the saying goes, while the cat is away, the mice will play – and so do criminals, who take advantage of unoccupied homes during the holidays when the owners are away.
According to the 2021/22 Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey, the number of housebreaking incidents in December 2021 alone totalled an astronomic 146 000. This was more than 60% higher than the previous year, when 90 000 incidents were recorded.
Likewise, Statistics South Africa revealed that housebreaking incidents peaked in June and December during the 2018/19 period and June, September and December in 2019/20. These all coincided with school holiday periods.
The police confirmed that criminals seek opportunities to steal in peace when people are away on holidays.
A lot of houses are left unattended and people return in January to find their valuables missing from houses and yards. Some people even find their cars gone.
Chief executive of IBV International Vaults, Ashok Sewnarain, said: “There’s nothing more tempting to a thief than an unoccupied home during the holidays, giving burglars hours of uninterrupted time to rummage through your belongings and help themselves to your valuables.
“Unfortunately, as we have seen time and time again, private security systems are not infallible, and they often are not strong enough to withstand determined or cunning criminals. Storing any precious items in professional, internationally-rated vaults may be a great option to consider.”
The largest standard safety deposit box on offer in South Africa totals 500mm in length by 300mm in width and 500mm in height for those with assets such as art or other collectables.
“The contents of each of our safety deposit boxes are kept strictly private and confidential, but encrypted USBs have also become popular in recent years among clients seeking a safe way to store cryptocurrencies,” he said.
“Ultimately, however, we would urge South Africans not to leave the protection of their priceless goods and valuables to chance, especially given the high risk of robberies and theft over the holidays. Enjoy the peace of mind you deserve by placing them in the secure facility that they require.”
Pretoria News