It is a generally accepted fact that South Africa has a high crime rate. Indeed, many thousands of citizens have already left the country because of crime, their experiences related to such and the fear of falling victim to house robberies and hijackings.

The SAPS crime statistics for the year 2015 showed that in the 27 main crime categories, criminal activities have stayed the same or have increased in 16 categories from the previous year. With over 2.2 million crimes reported in the measured period, South Africans need to take preventative action so as not to become victims of crime.

Security gates, burglar bars, alarm systems and CCTV monitoring are among the preventative equipment available to homeowners to help them keep criminals from entering, robbing or attacking them.

The statistics showed an increase of 5.2 percent in home robberies for the measured period of 2015, from the same period in 2014. We have no reason to think that the statistics will show a decrease in future, unless people take the necessary steps to make their homes more difficult to enter without permission.

On the positive side, there has been a reduction in residential related burglaries for the same period, which can be indicative of fewer people reporting burglaries or more people having taken safety and security steps, such as the installation of alarms, burglar bars, perimeter fences and more.

A home without any form of security is more attractive as a potential target than one that has been fitted with slam lock security doors, roller shutters, normal or transparent burglar bars and perimeter fences.

Take Note

One of the latest crime trends entail people just strolling through residential areas, and talking to the house and garden workers to get information about the houses where they work. The unsuspecting workers give out information without realising that they are helping criminals.

These criminals sell the information to crime syndicates. In the majority of house break-ins and robberies, the criminals already have inside information about items that they can steal, locations of the items, how many people live in the house, what their routines are, whether there are dogs or not, and what security is in place. This information is gathered from watching the home occupants, talking to the home workers, using Google Earth and Map photos, and more.

In light of the above information, one has to agree that not taking any steps to protect against potential attacks or attempts to gain entrance is asking for trouble. Start by investing in proper security doors and burglar bars to delay or keep criminals out.

When selecting the doors, it is imperative to also consider the supplier. You want a supplier that has confidence in their products.

Maxidor, for instance, offers a 10 year buy-back guarantee and is the original supplier of Slamlock™ security doors in South Africa. With our products made from superior quality materials and installation done using the best methods, we are confident that our products can minimise the possibility of gaining entrance through the closed gate areas and windows fitted with burglar bars.