'Security company phone lines do not operate properly during load shedding'

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Cape Town - According to crime and security experts, load shedding during the night influence criminals' behaviour and increases the likelihood of them seeking an opportunity to break into homes. Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said a review of criminal cases has shown a correlation between criminal activities and load shedding. “Criminals do tend to move into areas where there is load shedding. We shouldn't underestimate the fact that they check the areas and times of load shedding,” said Burger. G-Force Security Owner Aneez Gierdien said: “Criminals are likely to participate in activities that include housebreakings and car theft during the black-outs. The load shedding has made it a lot easier for them to do at night. Gierdien said during load shedding, malfunctioning alarms, cameras and electric fences increased the likelihood of crime occurring. Back-up battery power for alarms did not last for long.

“During the load shedding, security company phone lines do not operate properly and some control rooms do not have back-up generators which causes a delay for a signal alarm to be sent if an incident occurs,” he said.

Burger said load shedding also affects how police and security companies can respond to an incident or the time that it takes to arrive at a property or scene. Crime opportunists are also able to hide a lot easier in the dark which prevents them from being caught.

Rocklands Neighbourhood Watch chairperson Cedric Daniels said that more individuals are roaming the streets and looking for opportunities during power outages and that the homes of elderly individuals are usually targeted by criminals.

Daniels said that the blackout period has given the criminals and thieves a chance to walk around to check whether there are windows or doors open for them to get through or they will look for items in vehicles.

Gierdien added that another result of the power cuts was that CCTV footage is not recorded properly causing back-up footage to be destroyed.

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