It's the Saturday Open thread, but instead you should really be watching the cricket.
16 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I wanted to buy a house for R3.8M at Stonehurst Mountain estate in Tokai but everyone of my friends is advising me against it because you can never be outside of your house (too windy all the times) no trees, ugly development. For me i was looking at a safe place to live. Has anyone got friends living there and are they happy?
I have friends living there and they hate it. At least I think they're still living there - I don't visit them any more because a) the wind is horrific b) it's offensive to get a cavity search and retinal scan from the retards at the Checkpoint Charlie gate every time you want to swing by and c) the whole vibe is just too depressing.
A small note about safety: if you want safety look to the City Bowl or Sea Point. Gates, electric fences, walled and gated communities, etc are famously useless against crime. If you want safety, live somewhere where you know your neighbours and where people care about the suburb and not just their tiny walled enclave of it. Gated community / housing estate = paranoid sitting ducks for burglary etc.
I just bought a house (yay!) that has low walls, with trees over-hanging it. Small cul-de-sac with community minded neighbours are part and parcel, but I want to do as much as I can to ensure my family's safety.
Unfortunately security is all about blocking off access for the criminals. One of the better options for security is a top floor apartment in a very secure building that is well guarded. Direct lift access with key or code is even better.
To make a house secure is much more difficult and expensive. High walls, electric fencing, guard house, motion sensors covering the entire garden, burglar bars, alarm, sealed off areas of the house and a panic room could make a house safe but access is always compromised when arriving or leaving so guarded access is necessary.
JDog, the most important thing you can do is to not employ a maid or a gardener. They may be the loveliest and most law-abiding people but it's a given that they're going to chat to friends about all the lovely stuff you have in your home, and those friends are going to talk to friends, and before you know it 100 people know what's in your house. It is a fact that homes without maids get hit far less than homes with them. Remove the eyes (and entirely natural envy) and you remove a major source of burglary.
The cul-de-sac is priceless. Criminals, especially hijackers, need quick getaway routes (which is why Claremont is such a crime hot-spot - you can be on Lansdowne road in a minute and out of the suburbs in three.)
If your suburb has a neighbourhood watch, join it. I live in Tamboerskloof and I'm sometimes shocked by the blonde buzz-cut Germans who swarm all over the place whenever there's a smash and grab (they're a little TOO much into it), but the result is incredibly low rate of burglary and almost non-existent contact crime.
An Anon, yes, I wish South Africans understood how stress-free flat living is. I used to live in a normal suburban house/prison, and I can't believe I lived like that.
I suppose it's always a case of something for something. Other than the odd penthouse, very few flats offer space, which is something I place high on my list. In my opinion there are few man-made security devices that can beat a Rottweiler. As a burglar you can get around a dog, so you need to back it up with a good old 9mm in the kitchen drawer that you teach your kids to respect, fear, and use will skill and little hesitance should the need be. I heard of someone that kept a python in the garden. South African burglars really don't like snakes. I agree also 100% with the maid / gardener comment.
With 2 children under 3 years of age, a maid is a non-negotiable. Gardener is a shifty layabout, so can jettison him.
What about a gardening service? same thing?
Having been hijacked, we are very aware of other cars in the road.
We have a dog, but she sleeps inside. It's also almost impossible these days to get a gun license and I am not a big fan of them.
My thoughts are high walls, sensors on the inside of the walls looking inwards, sensors on the outside of the house looking outwards, panic buttons in every room for armed response. I'm not a huge fan of the electrified fence as they tend to give many false alarms, require maintenance and are easily bypassed.
Does anyone manufacture quick-close vehicle gates as the ones I see around takes ages to close?
JDog! Rejoin the human race! 5 or 6 billion people raise children without maids every year. I know they're convenient but like all conveniences you can do without them. However, if the value of a nanny outweighs the risk, then so be it.
High walls are a major risk - intruders love them because once you're inside the property (tricking/overpowering the maid, or just hopping over) they can make high without being seen.
Having said all that, if you are determined to live in a freestanding house in the burbs, then basically you're going to have to go the Fort Knox route: sensors, lasers, attack dogs, man-traps, spike pits, self-destruct button...The reality is that if you've chosen this life then there is no way to safeguard yourself against crime. Sorry. Burbs+walls+maids = major burglary at some point.
The key to not being burgled is not too look rich. I know this will not sit well with most but it's true that people without staff eyeing the place out are burgled less. It is possible to survive without someone cleaning your toilets - go the First World and observe.
The same can be said of the "need" for luxury vehicles costing 20 to 30 times what most people in SA earn in a year.
Ok, sometimes I just do not get it. I lived in Constantia for a while (just rented), and as you all know, people are crazy about security. Now I think we have to distinguish between feeling secure and making a place really safer. It would most likely be much more secure if people would join and hire proper armed security, put cameras on the streets and spend all the money making the suburb itself safe. Tear down all the walls, every fence/electric fence. Make it a policy that no walls are allowed. Ok, you can keep the alarm in case you are away. All the money that would go into the security of each house is spend to make the streets safer. Can you imagine how much nicer these suburbs would look like? No walls, no prisons?
In addition I really doubt that in any measure inside the house makes you safer, it is an illusion. The only thing that makes me sleep well is to have a second exit if some guys come from one side, window/main entrance, so that you can jump out of the house and run (ok, bad luck if they come from both sides). If your name is Harry, you can probably sleep with your 44 under the pillow.
In the house I lived, they had a security door in the hallway that would separate the 2 bedrooms from the rest and really nice big sliding doors in the bedroom. A perfect trap when the thieves are coming through the sliding doors. How stupid do you have to be to lock that door, well my landlord was when he lived there ...
Studies I recall reading say that a pack of smaller dogs are a bigger deterant than one big dog. Teach them to swarm.
Also, if you read between the lines at crypto-rightwinger sites like http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/ (basically just a collection of clippings featuring an endless stream of murdered whites) you will notice that the only people that avoid being tortured to death by house invaders are the ones that had guns. I realise it's harder these days but it really is worth it to get a gun provided you train with the weapon regularly and you're willing to use it to defend your life and that of your family.
studies have also shown that people are more likely to be killed by a gun in their own house than by an intruder........ and this does not even take into account the element of surprise that intruders have. While I am a gun owner, and not particularly pro disarming the population I really think there are questions about the effectiveness of guns for personal protection
Could you point me in the direction of those studies that claim you're more likely to be killed by your own gun than by an intruder? I ask because I've looked and had a hard time finding anything that conclusively said that.
The anti-gun lobby in this country make this claim often but are slow to provide numbers backing it up.
Besides, gun accidents in the home happen to stupid and careless people THAT DON"T FOLLOW THE RULES and don't train with their weapons on a regular basis.
16 comments:
I wanted to buy a house for R3.8M at Stonehurst Mountain estate in Tokai but everyone of my friends is advising me against it because you can never be outside of your house (too windy all the times) no trees, ugly development. For me i was looking at a safe place to live. Has anyone got friends living there and are they happy?
I have friends living there and they hate it. At least I think they're still living there - I don't visit them any more because a) the wind is horrific b) it's offensive to get a cavity search and retinal scan from the retards at the Checkpoint Charlie gate every time you want to swing by and c) the whole vibe is just too depressing.
A small note about safety: if you want safety look to the City Bowl or Sea Point. Gates, electric fences, walled and gated communities, etc are famously useless against crime. If you want safety, live somewhere where you know your neighbours and where people care about the suburb and not just their tiny walled enclave of it. Gated community / housing estate = paranoid sitting ducks for burglary etc.
Hey BC
So what are effective measures?
I just bought a house (yay!) that has low walls, with trees over-hanging it. Small cul-de-sac with community minded neighbours are part and parcel, but I want to do as much as I can to ensure my family's safety.
Thanks
Unfortunately security is all about blocking off access for the criminals. One of the better options for security is a top floor apartment in a very secure building that is well guarded. Direct lift access with key or code is even better.
To make a house secure is much more difficult and expensive. High walls, electric fencing, guard house, motion sensors covering the entire garden, burglar bars, alarm, sealed off areas of the house and a panic room could make a house safe but access is always compromised when arriving or leaving so guarded access is necessary.
JDog, the most important thing you can do is to not employ a maid or a gardener. They may be the loveliest and most law-abiding people but it's a given that they're going to chat to friends about all the lovely stuff you have in your home, and those friends are going to talk to friends, and before you know it 100 people know what's in your house. It is a fact that homes without maids get hit far less than homes with them. Remove the eyes (and entirely natural envy) and you remove a major source of burglary.
The cul-de-sac is priceless. Criminals, especially hijackers, need quick getaway routes (which is why Claremont is such a crime hot-spot - you can be on Lansdowne road in a minute and out of the suburbs in three.)
If your suburb has a neighbourhood watch, join it. I live in Tamboerskloof and I'm sometimes shocked by the blonde buzz-cut Germans who swarm all over the place whenever there's a smash and grab (they're a little TOO much into it), but the result is incredibly low rate of burglary and almost non-existent contact crime.
An Anon, yes, I wish South Africans understood how stress-free flat living is. I used to live in a normal suburban house/prison, and I can't believe I lived like that.
I suppose it's always a case of something for something. Other than the odd penthouse, very few flats offer space, which is something I place high on my list. In my opinion there are few man-made security devices that can beat a Rottweiler. As a burglar you can get around a dog, so you need to back it up with a good old 9mm in the kitchen drawer that you teach your kids to respect, fear, and use will skill and little hesitance should the need be. I heard of someone that kept a python in the garden. South African burglars really don't like snakes. I agree also 100% with the maid / gardener comment.
Hey BC / Anon
With 2 children under 3 years of age, a maid is a non-negotiable. Gardener is a shifty layabout, so can jettison him.
What about a gardening service? same thing?
Having been hijacked, we are very aware of other cars in the road.
We have a dog, but she sleeps inside. It's also almost impossible these days to get a gun license and I am not a big fan of them.
My thoughts are high walls, sensors on the inside of the walls looking inwards, sensors on the outside of the house looking outwards, panic buttons in every room for armed response. I'm not a huge fan of the electrified fence as they tend to give many false alarms, require maintenance and are easily bypassed.
Does anyone manufacture quick-close vehicle gates as the ones I see around takes ages to close?
JDog! Rejoin the human race! 5 or 6 billion people raise children without maids every year. I know they're convenient but like all conveniences you can do without them. However, if the value of a nanny outweighs the risk, then so be it.
High walls are a major risk - intruders love them because once you're inside the property (tricking/overpowering the maid, or just hopping over) they can make high without being seen.
Having said all that, if you are determined to live in a freestanding house in the burbs, then basically you're going to have to go the Fort Knox route: sensors, lasers, attack dogs, man-traps, spike pits, self-destruct button...The reality is that if you've chosen this life then there is no way to safeguard yourself against crime. Sorry. Burbs+walls+maids = major burglary at some point.
When in Rome...
The key to not being burgled is not too look rich. I know this will not sit well with most but it's true that people without staff eyeing the place out are burgled less. It is possible to survive without someone cleaning your toilets - go the First World and observe.
The same can be said of the "need" for luxury vehicles costing 20 to 30 times what most people in SA earn in a year.
BC / Anon
Hehehe - it's more life circumstance than anything else. Not going to happen.
Why is there so little product comparison and innovation in the security industry?
Ok, sometimes I just do not get it. I lived in Constantia for a while (just rented), and as you all know, people are crazy about security.
Now I think we have to distinguish between feeling secure and making a place really safer.
It would most likely be much more secure if people would join and hire proper armed security, put cameras on the streets and spend all the money making the suburb itself safe. Tear down all the walls, every fence/electric fence. Make it a policy that no walls are allowed. Ok, you can keep the alarm in case you are away. All the money that would go into the security of each house is spend to make the streets safer. Can you imagine how much nicer these suburbs would look like? No walls, no prisons?
In addition I really doubt that in any measure inside the house makes you safer, it is an illusion. The only thing that makes me sleep well is to have a second exit if some guys come from one side, window/main entrance, so that you can jump out of the house and run (ok, bad luck if they come from both sides). If your name is Harry, you can probably sleep with your 44 under the pillow.
In the house I lived, they had a security door in the hallway that would separate the 2 bedrooms from the rest and really nice big sliding doors in the bedroom. A perfect trap when the thieves are coming through the sliding doors. How stupid do you have to be to lock that door, well my landlord was when he lived there ...
Note on dogs:
Studies I recall reading say that a pack of smaller dogs are a bigger deterant than one big dog.
Teach them to swarm.
Also, if you read between the lines at crypto-rightwinger sites like http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/ (basically just a collection of clippings featuring an endless stream of murdered whites) you will notice that the only people that avoid being tortured to death by house invaders are the ones that had guns.
I realise it's harder these days but it really is worth it to get a gun provided you train with the weapon regularly and you're willing to use it to defend your life and that of your family.
studies have also shown that people are more likely to be killed by a gun in their own house than by an intruder........ and this does not even take into account the element of surprise that intruders have.
While I am a gun owner, and not particularly pro disarming the population I really think there are questions about the effectiveness of guns for personal protection
@bbflames
yes, but if you have a swarm of yapping dogs. There goes the element of suprise. Once they start yapping, its time to start gunslinging
@ bbflames
Could you point me in the direction of those studies that claim you're more likely to be killed by your own gun than by an intruder? I ask because I've looked and had a hard time finding anything that conclusively said that.
The anti-gun lobby in this country make this claim often but are slow to provide numbers backing it up.
Besides, gun accidents in the home happen to stupid and careless people THAT DON"T FOLLOW THE RULES and don't train with their weapons on a regular basis.
@ jim
even if its just to stop the yapping!
@ benny
gere you go
http://i.imgur.com/Tz0m3.png
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