Kenyans, watch where you buy your padlocks: 10 ways to enhance your home security

 Watch where you buy your padlocks

Watch where you buy your padlocks or door locks as burglars often use master keys Limit the number of people who can enter your house, control their movement when inside the house It's important to know your neighbours, especially when you move into a new neighbourhood

Tony Sahni has been the Group Managing Director at Securex Agencies (K) Ltd for the past 25 years; He also served two consecutive terms as the chairman of the Kenya Security Industry Association (KSIA).

 He speaks on steps you can take to secure your own home.

Have a safe zone We have a holistic approach when it comes to securing a home, and this means we divide the typical house into four zones.

 Zone 1 would be what is commonly referred to as a "safe haven" or a bunker. This is a secure, preferably self-contained inner room in your home that you can retreat into in the event of an attack.

 Tony Sahni, Securex Agencies (K) Ltd Group MD

You should make attempts to set up a safe haven in your home, with emergency provisions and some means of communication for you to reach out for help when necessary.

Get your house surveyed

Zone 2 would be the rest of the house and the building structure. Consider having a security expert survey your home and advice on technological solutions such as CCTV surveillance and intrusion detection and response systems.

Intentionally limit access

If you have service providers working in your home, you should limit the number and restrict them from getting to parts of the house that they don't really need to such as the master bedroom.  

Watch where you buy your padlocks or door locks as burglars often use master keys to get past these. Remember to keep your doors and gates locked at all times, whether you're home or not, and even if you're only stepping out briefly.

Remember, most burglaries rarely last more than a couple of minutes.

The exterior matters

Zone 3 is simply your perimeter. It starts from the simple things such as having a well-labelled house for instance.

This is important because in the event of an emergency, response units would be able to locate your house easily.

 You should also keep your compound well-maintained because overgrown bush provides potential burglars with the cover they would need to stay hidden. Beyond this, you can reinforce your perimeter security by investing in an electric fence.

Zone 4 is your surroundings. How well do you know your neighborhood? How many police stations are around your residence?

For vehicle owners, you should consider installing technical solutions such as car alarms, an ignition cut-out and vehicle-tracking as well.

Don't be lax

I find that most people make the assumption that their home or neighbourhood is safe simply because they have never been attacked before.

This leads to some form of laxity in investing in securing their houses. This is why you'd find people forgetting to lock their doors, leaving their windows open or forgetting to arm their intruder alarms for instance.

The enemy could be inside

Another common misconception is that the only threat to your security is external intrusion. Your approach to security should always start from the inside moving outwards.

This means limiting the number of people who can enter your house, controlling their movement when inside the house, keeping your valuables out of plain sight, setting up a safe haven for you and your family, and so on.

Vet your service providers

Nine times out of ten, an intruder is either someone known to you or someone who has been to your house or neighbourhood before.

You're more likely to be robbed by the person who collects your garbage every week than by an opportunistic burglar who happened to pick out your house. This includes service providers like house helps, gardeners, taxi drivers and so on.

To prevent this, you should prefer one service provider as opposed to having a different one every week.

For instance, if you arrive home late and have to take a taxi or bodaboda home, have one trusted rider instead of picking a different one every night.

Or if you hire a help to do your laundry every weekend, ask a few friends or trusted neighbours for recommendations and work with a service provider that you have been referred to.

Maintain control even when away

It is also important to control access to your home. I normally advise people to leave clear instructions with their security teams not to let anyone in the house before you give the go-ahead. Limiting movement in and out of your compound is critical to your safety.

Reinforce your system

We always advise our clients to take charge of their security. Your attitude towards your safety goes a long way to determining how secure you and your family are.

You could have the best intruder alarm system installed in your home for instance, but it won't be of much help if you don't activate it.

Know your neighbours

I am a strong believer in the concept of "nyumba kumi". It's important to know your neighbours, especially when you move into a new neighbourhood.

For example, if you're intending to travel over the election week, your neighbours can watch over your property while you are away.

 Or perhaps consider a scenario where armed robbers have raided your house. Your neighbour is more likely to raise an alarm if they know you.