Top 10 Tips To Keep Your Store Safe This Festive Season

While many of us see the festive season as a time to kick back and relax, for the retail sector it is the busiest time of the year. With high volumes of high-value stock, seasonal staff and more capital flowing through our premises than any other time of the year staying safe is a definite priority. 

Maintaining visibility throughout your store, being alert to suspicious activity and taking precautions during the opening and closing of your facility are excellent places to start. However, there is more you can do to keep yourself, your business and your employees safe this festive season. 

10 Things To Keep Your Store Safe:

  1. Suspicious vehicles  – Be vigilant of what is around your business, especially at opening and closing times.
  2. Suspicious persons – People who intend to shoplift often wear inappropriate clothing for the weather – such as heavy coats during hot days.
  3. Be prepared for a crisis – Having a list of emergency numbers clearly visible means your employees know who to call in an emergent situation.
  4. Be prepared for crime – Placing static panic buttons in strategic areas of your store, like in the cash office, storeroom, or under the till register can help employees call for help in armed robbery scenarios.
  5. Shine a light – Keep the premises well-lit, both inside and out, especially at night so that patrols and security can clearly see potential intruders. 
  6. Travel together – Two or more staff members should leave the premises together at the end of shifts.
  7. Stay visible – Use a clearly public entrance to the business and avoid any secluded entry points not covered by surveillance cameras.
  8. Clean your cameras – Make sure all individuals can be clearly identified by the cameras as the video footage assists the SAPS with investigations.
  9. Test your cameras – Inspect your CCTV cameras regularly, ensuring they are fully functioning without any blind spots.
  10. Deposit cash ASAP – Do not keep a large amount of cash inside the store and change your pattern of banking to avoid being tracked and targeted. 

Sustainable security is a balance between a safety-conscious employee culture, a properly equipped property and employers who prioritise creating a safe working experience. Letting your customers and staff know that you care about their safety this busy season will make your customers feel safe and your staff feel valued – both of which boost your confidence and your bottom line. 

If you have any safety concerns to share, please contact one of the following numbers:

·       10111 – SAPS (South African Police Services)

·        107 – City of Cape Town Disaster Management

·        021 565 0900 – Geocentric Control Room 

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How to Prepare Your Property For the Festive SeasoN

After a challenging 2021, filled with great uncertainty and change globally, many of us are looking forward to wrapping things up for a well deserved holiday with family and friends. Ensuring that your property is secure and your business protected is the best Christmas gift you can give yourself and will give you the peace of mind that will allow you to relax and recuperate. 

Here are our top tips to keep your property safe so you can enjoy the merry season: 

Protecting Your Property:

  1. Ensure you have an alarm – Have an alarm installed by a reputable security company that you trust. Effective alarm systems include armed response services, detection beams, window sensors and electric fences.  
  1. Make sure that your alarm system is working – This includes checking that the backup battery works by doing a final test with your security company. 
  1. Do a thorough physical perimeter check – Ensure there are no access points, such as gaps in the fence, that intruders could enter through.
  1. Check your access points – Make sure that all doors, gates, windows, locks, security bars and roller shutters are in proper working condition and properly locked when you leave the premises.  
  1. Remove potential tools – All wooden pallets, tires and other items that could be used to breach the perimeter of your property must be stored away and all trees and bushes must be trimmed to ensure possible intruders can’t hide in them. 
  1. Collect all keys – All copies of keys, access cards and remote controls for gates and garage doors that are not in use during your absence must be handed in and secured.
  1. Check your emergency contact – The emergency contact number should be for someone with access to ALL entry points of the property. Their contact details should be displayed on the outside of the property for emergency services to contact them in case of fire, theft or crisis. 
  1. Be prepared for an emergency – Keep a list of emergency service providers such as a plumber, electrician and general contractor handy. You should also phone them and get the details of the appropriate staff that will be on call during the festive holidays.
  1. Do your banking beforehand – Do not leave any valuable items or cash on the premises if they cannot be properly secured. 
  1. Install adequate exterior lighting – This serves both as a deterrent and to help authorities catch suspicious persons lurking near your property. Connecting outdoor lights to timers and motion sensors can also help you save on your power bill.
  1. Check the lights – All exterior lights should be in working order as they are a deterrent to criminals and essential for the detection of a potential intruder by security. 
  1. Do your CCTV camera maintenance – If you have CCTV cameras on your premises, ensure they are placed strategically with no blind spots and have been inspected and that their backup batteries are in proper working condition. 

Prevention is better than cure, and we urge all property owners to make every effort to properly prepare for the coming weeks. After a challenging year for all, we sincerely hope that you can rest easy in the knowledge that we will be working through the festive season to keep your homes and businesses safe. 

To share your story with us and stand a chance to be featured in one of our future newsletters email us at media@geocentric.co.za.

If you have any safety concerns to share, please contact one of the following numbers:

·       10111 – SAPS (South African Police Services)

·        107 – City of Cape Town Disaster Management

·        021 565 0900 – Geocentric Control Room 

To contact the City of Cape Town 

Please use the City’s Customer Services call centre to request a service or query your account. You will receive a reference number that you can use to track the request. The best option is to use the City’s website www.capetown.gov.za and select ‘Service Requests’ on the home page, then follow instructions and capture each location as a separate request. The service selections and location determine to which department the request is routed by the system.

You can also send an email to the call centre contactus@capetown.gov.za for each request stating the request, location, complainant’s name, complainant’s contact details and any additional comments. 

You can also SMS 31373 (Maximum 160 characters) OR Call 086 010 3089

To report

Street People

  • Call 0800 872 201

Illegal dumping

Traffic or Taxi issues

  • Call 021 596 1999 or 0860 765 423

Drugs

  • Send an email to Drug.stop@capetown.gov.za
  • For drug treatment and support contact the City’s toll-free helpline on 0800 43 57 48 (0800 HELP 4 U).

Illegal Activity

  • Contact Law Enforcement/Metro Police on 0860 765 423 or 107

Emergency

  • In a life or property threatening situation…
  • Call 107 from a landline or 112 from a cell phone or 021 480 7700

Water and Sanitation related complaints (Burst pipe, water outage, blocked drain, etc.)

Faulty water management devices

Water restriction violation

Solid Waste Department

  • Call centre: 0860 103 089
  • Email: wastewise@capetown.gov.za

Electricity

Faults and enquiries

  • Call centre: 0860 103 089
  • Email: faultreporting.centre@capetown.gov.za
  • SMS: 31220
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Seeing To Your Safety

Update On Our CCTV Camera Network

Crime is a sombre reality in South Africa that costs us dearly. Emotionally, living in fear drains us and financially, unplanned expenses due to theft can leave us grasping at straws. To do our part in creating a safer space for us all to share we are expanding and upgrading the CCTV camera network in the Tygervalley Improvement District  (TVID). 

The expansion supports our other public safety and urban management activities by sustainably decreasing criminal activity. 

In conjunction with the City of Cape Town, The SAPS, Neighbourhood Watch groups, local businesses and private individuals, we are a pivotal member of a Public Safety network with cameras that have eyesight over the critical locations of our CID. 

Allowing us to see the entire  Tygervalley Improvement District and intervene in all types of crimes to make our community safer.

Organized criminal activity targeting theft and vandalism of electrical components cost Eskom an estimated R69 000 000 in the last 18 months alone according to CEO  Andre de Ruyter. The damages to local businesses caused by interrupted power are incalculable, especially in mixed-use and industrial areas like the TVID. 

The Tygervalley Improvement District’s road and communications infrastructure is also being crippled by vandalism and robbery, resulting in key road intersections, cell phone towers, and fibre networks being rendered inoperable. 

By expanding our CCTV surveillance we hope to be a significant contributor to creating a collaborative city-wide surveillance system that will prevent, identify, and neutralise criminal activity in real-time. We also know that our systems will help lawyers bring more criminals to justice and alleviate some of the load on our judicial system as they make the conviction process clearer and quicker. 

Our network is so effective due to our multifaceted approach to both the camera hardware and the data management of the surveillance systems. Our cameras are monitored on a 24/7 basis by a centralised control centre meaning we can track and stop criminal activity across districts in real-time. 

Our Cameras 

We use three types of cameras, some with infrared capabilities to see even in the dark.

– Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras – These can be rotated by our trained operators to track people acting suspiciously even after they think they have walked out of frame.

– Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras – These are static cameras reading licence plates of vehicles.  The CID belongs to a recognised, well-organised user group that holds a database of suspicious vehicles.  Our LPR software generates alerts when such vehicles enter our Improvement District and place us on high alert.  Should the occupants act suspiciously we have the option of alerting the local SAPS sector patrol vehicles.

– Static cameras enabled with artificial intelligence functionality – These are static cameras and can be focused on hotspots or boundary areas such as fences.  The cameras detect the movement of vehicles and people and alert our control room and patrol vehicles of such activity.

 Our Data Management

  • Our Artificial Intelligence Cameras and Software detects even the slightest movements which help our personnel see potentially hidden persons and suspicious activities.  
  • Video Analytics can be used to interpret, study and project criminal behavioural patterns which help us aid the SAPS to bring down the syndicates that are disrupting our peace. 

Our expansion of the CCTV network is one example of how we are trying to make our community a more profitable business and residential node by creating holistic urban regeneration programmes. 

Landlords, business owners and residents of the TVID can expect: 

  • A continued effort to decrease crime. 
  • Targeted intervention by our public safety teams
  • Improved response time
  • 24/7 monitoring by our control room.
  • Foot and vehicle patrol teams, law enforcement officers and the police equipped with essential live information to improve arrest rates. 
  • Prevention of more incidents due to the improved directing of resources. 
  • Reduced false reporting of incidences due to our ability to validate the claim instantly.
  • Progress on creating a Unified City-Wide Public Safety Network.

We are improving our public safety plan by: 

  • Surveying the entire TVID to identify vulnerable points to inform the next extension of our CCTV network. 
  • Targeting public safety efforts on infrastructure crime to safeguard the continuous supply of energy, water, sanitation, communication infrastructure and access to transportation.
  • Implementing mechanisms to alert our management and public safety teams to early warning signs of threats so that the distribution of our safety resources can be optimised.  

The manufacturing, education, property, hospitality and public transport industries form the backbone of our community’s livelihoods. Ultimately, our goal is to protect the people and the resources of the institutions they serve within the Tygervalley Improvement District.  

Our sophisticated CCTV cameras use the latest technological advancements so we can streamline our prevention and intervention efforts and help bring criminals to justice.

With your help and investment, we step closer to a safer South Africa every day. And so many of you already do remarkable work in the Tygervalley Improvement District. We would love to hear your #GoodNews and how you are making our area a better place. 

To share your story with us and stand a chance to be featured in one of our future newsletters email us at media@geocentric.co.za 

If you have any safety concerns to report, please contact one of the following numbers:

·       10111 – SAPS (South African Police Services)

·        107 – City of Cape Town Disaster Management

·        021 565 0900 – Geocentric Control Room 

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Our Speeding Awareness Initiative – No Need to Speed

It’s no mystery that for many of us, a work commute is an unavoidable and chaotic part of our lives. Shockingly,  1 third of all deaths on our roads are caused by motor pedestrian collisions at speed. Closely followed by passenger deaths, making up 32% of road fatalities. This leaves countless families shattered simply because drivers were in a rush. Our speeding initiative shares our top insights on how to curb speeding in your area.

Tygervalley Improvement District – Collaborating with the City of Cape Town

A common occurrence we see daily in the Tygervalley Improvement District  (TVID) is this. Imagine there is a truck or a visitor is pulling into an opposite bay, and you are a driver speeding. You overtake the truck quickly but don’t see the pedestrians walking in front of the vehicle. Leaving you with 0 reaction time to brake.

This causes a potentially fatal collision for the pedestrian. Derails the driver’s life who is liable to criminal charges. Costs the business cleaning up the accident dearly. Most importantly, it is incalculably devastating to the passengers, drivers, and pedestrians’ families.

The solution to stopping speeding? Simple, slow down.

Every morning and afternoon, thousands of dedicated employees make their journey to work by foot, taxi, bus, and car. Here is the good news – we have a simple solution. Simply slow down, pay attention and obey our speeding laws and safer South African streets are just around the corner.

As the Tygervalley Improvement District, we are helping to stop speeding by:

  • Making sure all traffic and speeding signs are clearly visible and in good condition.
  • Continuing to develop creative ways of implementing sustainable road safety strategies. We are also working together with the TVID population to adjust these programmes to your specific needs.
  • Collaborating with the City of Cape Town to implement and maintain traffic speed enforcement measures. These include cameras, speed management obstructions and traffic officers patrolling the greater TVID area.
Tygervalley Improvement District – Implementing sustainable anti-flooding road safety strategies

As a driver, you can help us curb speeding by:

  • Slowing down. In industrial areas, the National Road Traffic Act states that drivers should not exceed 60 km/h. This ensures that you have sufficient time to react to unforeseen situations and will avoid unnecessary fines.
  • Remaining aware and vigilant. Keep your eyes on the people, other drivers, and potential obstructions in your line of sight and off your cell phone. 
  • Being aware that the TVID is an industrial area and likely to have pockets of congestion throughout the day. Be mindful to allow yourself more time to get where you are going.
  • Being patient. We have many slow-moving vehicles carrying remarkably heavy loads that are too large to manoeuvre quickly so don’t pass when it is not 100% safe.
  • Our streets are lined with driveways, side streets and loading bays that trucks need to turn into. Please do not park in any of these zones, as this will lead to a traffic jam until you are found and move your car out the way to safety.
  • Maintaining a safe following distance. If you are unsure of what this is for the different vehicle types, watch this excellent video guide on “The Time Distance Ratio”   by Arrive Alive.

As a business owner, you can:

  • Create parking zones for clients and 3rd party suppliers. This will prevent them from needing to slow down and to park either in an open employee bay or illegally on the opposite side of the road.
  • Respect the boundary markings of roads. Red lines, pavements, pedestrian walkways, and cyclist paths are carefully calculated to keep the flow of people into the area safe and swift. Please do not park vehicles in these designated areas.
  • Make provisions for pedestrians so your employees and the employees of the businesses around you are not forced to endanger themselves by walking on the road.
  • All your employees who come to work in their own vehicles should be educated on the dangers of speeding and carpool where they can to save on parking space.
  • Ensure that all employees who need parking bays are provided with a place to put their vehicles. The best time to make these alterations would be during a Facade Improvement intervention.
  • If you are a fleet manager – have multiple company cars or have an internal employee transport system – introduce a telematics system. This will allow you to target your speeding awareness interventions to the drivers who need them.

According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), traffic accidents cost our already strained South African economy a whopping R176 Billion in 2020. We also missed the target set out in the UN decade for action road safety amendment by miles, despite a months-long lockdown that restricted movement.

Traffic Enforcement 

Traffic enforcement is a last resort for the TVID. While we would prefer not to implement these measures, we are charged with the duty of making the Tygervalley Improvement District safer for all. Traffic enforcement to curb speeding vehicles will be a necessary consequence if we all don’t slow down.

In a time where so many of us are only just scraping by financially, we simply shouldn’t waste money paying expensive traffic fines for speeding incidents that are 100% easily avoidable.

We truly believe that together we can make the roads of the Tygervalley Improvement District  (TVID) a safer space for our community and would love to hear your #GoodNews and suggestions, simply mail us at info@tvid.co.za.

If you have any safety concerns to report, please contact one of the following numbers:

  • SAPS (South African Police Services) – 10111 
  • City of Cape Town Disaster Management. – 107
  • Geocentric Control Room – 021 565 0900

 

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