The Hartbeespoort community policing forum urges residents who plan to go on holiday, to bear the following safety tips in mind:

1) It is preferable to have a trustworthy individual to do house-sitting for you.
2) Ask your neighbour to keep an eye on your house while you away by turning on your lights at night.
3) NEVER leave pets unattended. Ask a reliable person to feed and check on them, or alternatively take them to kennels for safekeeping.
4) If you have garden services, ask them to keep your garden tidy. An overgrown garden is a sure sign that the resident is away.
5) Inform your neighbourhood watch and/or your security company so that they can keep an eye on your property.
6) Preferably, do not inform workers of your plans to go on holiday. In many cases, workers have been implicated in burglaries while residents are away.
“Remember that during holiday periods criminals move around looking for potential targets and while neighbourhood watches do regular patrols, it is impossible to look after entire areas. We request each resident to do his best to ensure the safety of his property,” said Romano van der Spuy, chairperson of the CPF.