Newsletter/Blog


2016-12-02
CBAR-News flash- November/December 2016


Dear Valued Clients,

We have just entered the last month of 2016 and most people are focusing on winding down their businesses and looking forward to their forthcoming holidays and some quiet time.  CBAR, on the other hand is entering its busiest time of the year, as this is when clients call upon us the most.

The traffic congestion is already at its peak and the City appears to be full to capacity.

Please avoid false alarms by using your alarm correctly and informing our monitoring centre on 0860-151515, should your alarm be activated erroneously, as the heavy traffic reduces the response times of our reaction fleet dramatically.

Here are a few tips to make your festive season a little safer;

Ensure that your alarm system is fully functional well before your date of holiday departure. Should your house be left unattended for some time with an alarm continuously activating it will definitely upset your neighbours and place a burden on the armed reaction units. Up to 99% of alarm activations are false, resulting in armed Reaction staff continuously responding to the same alarm systems day after day, which can result in a slower reaction service.

Test your alarmContact our monitoring centre on 0860 151515, preferably in off-peak times between 9am and 4pm and advise them that you wish to test your alarm.  They will assist you with this process.

User error.  In your absence you may have appointed a house-sitter, family member or friend to watch over or reside at your premises. They should be instructed on the correct operation of the alarm system as well as the password should the alarm be set off accidentally. (Your password can be changed at any time in writing upon your return).

Advice CBAR of your holiday plans.  Throughout the year you entrust CBAR to take care of your security needs and should therefore trust us to look after your property during your prolonged absence.  It is imperative that we are supplied with an updated list of keyholders that ARE AVAILABLE in your absence, as well as a date of departure and return.  Please ensure that you make yourself available to your keyholders should they need to contact you in an emergency that may require your attention.

Access to premises: Should your premises be inaccessible due to electric fences, high walls, spiking etc and you have a lock box containing a key/remote, or a digital keypad, please ensure our monitoring centre has the updated access code. All responsible keyholders should be in possession of these codes.

Lighting: Many people believe leaving certain lights on, whether internal or external in their absence will act as a deterrent to criminals. I firmly believe to the contrary, as it is highly unlikely that lighting, especially external, will be left on 24hours a day purposefully if the occupants are home. Have a timer installed if your intention is to use lighting as a deterrent. This should coordinate with your normal daily routine.

Advise a neighbour.  Tell your neighbour as well as your neighbourhood watch in your area that you will be away, as they might observe suspicious activity in your absence. Inform them that you are a member of CBAR and that we can be contacted in the event of a situation pertaining to the property.

Domestic staff.  They should know how to operate your alarm system or at least understand the use of the panic buttons and have access to CBAR’s emergency reaction service, either by providing them with a panic button or providing them with our emergency contact number.

Visible Patrols.  Our fleet of armed reaction vehicles patrol your neighbourhood 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  They are constantly patrolling, looking for suspicious persons that may be loitering in or around your neighbourhood.  This is done as part of your monthly service, providing a visible deterrent.  Should you require a dedicated visitation at your premises, where a response officer will physically conduct a walk-around patrol, a fee of R57.00 (Incl. VAT) for such a dedicated patrol will be levied.

Outdoor foliage and beams.  This is one of the single biggest causes of false alarms.  When there are adverse weather conditions such as heavy rain and strong winds, such as we have in summer, untrimmed foliage near an outside beam may cause the alarm to activate continuously.  Please ensure that all foliage is trimmed at all times.

General awareness.  When visiting shopping centres, the beach or any other area which may be busy, ensure that valuables / bags are not left in a visible part of the car, as the amount of break-ins into cars dramatically increases over the holiday period.

Our monitoring centre has of late been receiving a influx in reported car break-ins, so please do not be careless, criminals do not know a gym bag is empty!

Lock up your premises completely and make sure that your alarm has been activated when departing. Before driving away, physically watch your garage door or sliding gate close.

Should you have any concerns or require any further advice pertaining to your security needs, please feel free to contact myself directly or any of our management team below.

 

CBAR Management team (From left to right)

Shaun Kleingeld (Armed Response);   Colin Smith (Technical);   Leonie Smith (Accounts); Mandy Matthews (Finance & HR);Alan Kusevitsky (Managing Member); Valencia Smith (Control Room); Cyril Jilander (Operations)

From all at CBAR, we would like to thank you for your continued support over the past 17 years and entrusting us with the responsibility of ensuring that you and your assets are protected at all times.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our clients and neighbourhood watches a fantastic and safe festive season.

 

Best wishes and kind regards.

 

Alan Kusevitsky and the CBAR Team

 

 



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