Securing Self

Personal security

Tips to protect yourself, your family and your property. You must apply 24/7 security measures, but they should always be proportionate to the threat and cause minimal disruption in your daily life. A few tis to mention are:

1. Personal safety tip: Always adhere to these five basic principles below:

• Know the regions of the country/city/neighborhood that pose the greatest security     threat.

• Be aware that there may be a real threat and you could be a target.

• Be on the lookout for anything unusual, such as a stranger waiting outside your home or office or if a car follows you. If you notice anything suspicious, report it to the police or competent authority.

• Be especially vigilant when entering or leaving your home, office, school, club, bar or restaurant.

• Teach your children to be aware of his or her surroundings. They must have a healthy distrust for strangers and unusual incidents and be careful not to get involved in situations in which they may be at risk. Caution is not only important when they are at home (in answering door or phone), but also when they are at school or university.

2. Low profile tip

• Try not to draw unnecessary attention to yourself such as speaking loudly or wearing clothes or jewelry.

• Do not identify with strangers.

• Do not discuss your work in public where you may be heard.

• Be careful when talking on the phone, especially on mobile phones or in public places. When you receive a call, identify callers before providing personal or family information or job details.

• Secure your home address and family details should be kept secret. This information should not published in the phone book or club list.

• Notify nondisclosure family members information for strangers or ordinary acquaintances.

• If you have an unavoidable high profile, you should strengthen your security measures.

3. Unforeseen Habits

• Avoid predictable habits. Change your hours and everyday places such as offices, schools, place of worship or business.

• Change the routes you use to and fro your destinations daily if possible

• Identify all unavoidable and special habits warning at these times.

4. Communication 

• Know where each family member should be at all times and when they should return. 

• Discuss with each person what to do in the event of an emergency.

• Always have a contact phone number for the office, your neighborhood and the police. 

• If you feel threatened, call for help and tell others. It is better to cause an unnecessary alarm than to be discovered without knowing it. 

• Always carry a cell phone and a public phone card. Your mobile phone must have necessary numbers like family, police, etc. programmed before speed dialing. 

• Ask your family to never give out details about the location or movements of any other family members.

• It can be recommended to liaise with the nearby police or shield force, supplied that that is achieved confidentially and on the proper level. 

• It is important to have excellent family members together along with your neighbors. They can assist in a crisis, hold an eye fixed on your home while you are away or if there is something suspicious within the region.

5. Layers of safety 

• Consider how prone you are to the threat. Adopt and preserve suitable security features.

• Develop security features for every part of your day: e.g. at home, at the same time as visiting and within the office.

• Security might be attacked at its weakest point, so that you need to follow those measures 24/7. 

• A stable wooden outside door without a glass is the a good security, but – do not forget metallic reinforcement.

• Fit a door viewer or hatch to the principle door. 

• Fit and use a door chain.

• Ensure you have got excellent fine locks and hinge bolts.

• Always keep outside doorways locked, even while you are inside the house. 

• Connect the principle door to the intruder alarm system.

• Remove all private identity from doorways and gates windows.

• Fit safety locks or bolts to all home windows. 

• Connect home windows to the intruder alarm system. 

• Reinforce home windows with stable shutters or obvious safety film. 

• In excessive hazard areas, all floor home windows should be equipped with metallic bars.

• Fit curtains or blinds and hold them closed at night times.

• You ought to have a minimal quantity of keys consistent with lock, and all spares ought to be accounted for.

• If a key is lost, replace that lock.

• Do not hold keys any more in just a `secure place`, as beneath a mat or on a string through the letterbox. Keys should be saved with you or locked away. 

6. Lightning. Make sure you have accurate outdoors lighting fixtures, especially across the the front and the lower back door. so you can become aware of visitors, and any dark regions where an intruder can take cover.

• You need to be capable of manage outside lighting fixtures from within the house 

• External motion sensor lighting fixtures provide additional security.

7. Phone

• The Phone can be an insecure tool for communication. Be cautious with whom you give your phone numbers to. 

• Make sure that your phone is not listed on the phone books.

• Do not say your name when you answer your phone. 

• Make sure you already know who the caller is earlier before giving out your details or information. 

• If you need to test the caller`s identity, ask for his or her number so you can ring them back.

• Avoid phoning beforehand with information about your travels or visits.

 • When recording a message on your home phone, do not say you are out or away. The message you need to say is that you are not able to get to them at the moment and that if the caller leaves their name, you may call them back.

• If you get any suspicious calls, record them.

• Locate the closest public or personal phone for reserve use. 

• Remember that strangers can overhear you on a cell phone in a public region and may eavesdrop.

8. Sleeping regions 

• Make sure that the room you sleep in is secure. They need to be above floor if possible, have bars on the home windows and a stable door 

• At least one set of window bars need to be on hinges with a padlock in order that there can be an escape route incase of fire outbreak.

9. Safe Room

• Create a secure room in your property, fitted with more locks or a strengthened door. Keep it stocked with emergency substances and bottled water.

• Emergency supplies should include the following: torch and spare batteries, first aid kit, charged mobile phone and useful phone numbers e.g. police, hospital, school, friends, reliable neighbours.

• Ensure family members know they should go to the safe room in the event of an incident in or around the house. 

• If you are expecting service personnel, ask their company in advance for the name of the person who will be coming. 

10. Alarms and perimeter security 

• In high risk areas you should install at least two panic buttons, connected to an intruder alarm: one by the front door and one in the main bedroom. The alarm should be connected to the local guard force operations centre, where available and effective.

• In high risk areas you should have a perimeter fence around your property. This should be at least 2.5 metres high and should be topped with an anti climb device. 

• Remove shrubbery and overhanging trees near the perimeter fence and the house so that strangers cannot hide near your property or gain access to upper levels. Make sure all ladders are secured and cannot be used.

• Noisy gravel pathways close to the house are an excellent deterrent to intruders. 

• Dogs are a valuable security aid and strong deterrent to attack. Let them roam freely around the house at night. Dogs kept outside can be poisoned or drugged. Watch out for signs of nervousness.

• Check their identity and do not let strangers in until verified.

• Use security chains or door hatches.

• Accompany and/or supervise service personnel during the work. If new callers replace regular callers, call their employer to make sure they are approved. • Inspect all shipments before receiving them. If in doubt, ask the courier to open the package. 

• Do not make calls at the front door. 

• Turn on the lights outside at night so you can see the caller, but leave the lights inside the car off. 

• Ensure families and employees are aware of domestic staff procedures;

11. Domestic Staff

• Make sure you confirm the references for all your domestic staff.

• Be cautious with what you are saying in the front of your domestic staff.

• Restrict access to keys and do not permit your domestic staff take keys home.

• Brief your domestic staff frequently on strategies for permitting people into the property, answering the phone and  other safety measures.

• If a member of your domestic staff leaves or is dismissed, change all outside door locks.

12. Strangers

• Be cautious of strangers, especially at night time or if they are soliciting for assistance. Do not permit them, should they ask to use your phone, however convincing they may sound.

• Do not permit absolutely everyone claiming to be a policeman or different works of life into your house till you have checked and confirmed their identification, and from the police or a different headquarters have permitted their go to.

• If you spot any strangers on your property, call the police or any local guard immediately.

14. Mail

• Be privy to any unique objects ordered by your relatives through mail

• Handle any sudden programs with care

• Look out for handwritten addresses

• Feel the rims to test for wires or metallic items

• Check for stain or a peculiar odor

• If in doubt, do not open it.

Taking above measures into consideration and practice, you will be well protecting your self from insecurity and safety threats.