Our Vulnerabilities and Key Actions

Residents are reminded to take note of the following:

A. Robbers/Thieves not easily identifiable and do not announce themselves.

B. Houses that are more vulnerable than others.

C. Hours that are more vulnerable than others.

D. Roads that are more vulnerable than others.

A. Notes on Robbers / Thieves

1. Not easy to identify them as they dress no different from the average resident and

drive cars that are just as good as residents in our area;

2. They study and learn our weak areas and then they try to strike.

Actions we can take as Residents:

1. Partial road closures, CCTV and security guards’ patrols can only act as a strong

deterrent but they cannot totally prevent robbery or theft – they can only deter.

You can do your part by keeping an eye on our neighbourhood – especially your

neighbours. So let us be our neighbours’ keeper and be ready to spot and report

suspicious persons and vehicles in our neighbourhood to the Police first then to our

own security.

2. Know our immediate neighbours & their family members and their normal patterns

of movement – start by sharing your mobile phone numbers. If you see unfamiliar

faces in your neighbour’s compound moving items from the house, call your

neighbour to check without arousing the suspicions of the unfamiliar person(s).

Then, call the Emergency Numbers for support. Note that several attempted break-

ins in our neighbourhood were prevented by swift response from neighbours.

B. Notes on vulnerable houses

1. On most days, no one is at home during the day time. This is clear by the absence

of the car in the porch and clothes hanging in the shade. If your house and your

neighbours are in a similar situation, your house is definitely more vulnerable than

others.

2. Houses with manual gates (and two halves of sliding grilles that are not secured via

metal clamps) are vulnerable to entry.

3. Grille doors with grille ears exposed and poor quality padlocks placed on the outside

instead of having the locks on the inside are easy to break-in.

4. Having front wooden doors with a simple door lock instead of a deadbolt lock is like

inviting a break-in.

Actions we can take as house owners:

1 . Keep an eye over the homes of your immediate neighbours.

2 . Call the Emergency Numbers to report any suspicious persons or vehicles.

3 . Take steps to strengthen security of our homes by improving the locks at gates,

grilles and doors. Install a house alarm.

C. Notes on vulnerable hours

1. From limited historical data from our neighbouring communities as well as our own

data, the most vulnerable hours when break-ins occur are:

- 10.00 am to 1.00 pm

- 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm

- 2.30 am to 6.00 am

2. Note however that thieves and robbers are opportunists, they strike when we present

them with opportunity.

Actions to take:

1 . Our security services will increase patrols during these vulnerable hours.

2 . Residents should be extra careful at these times and keep an eye on your

neighbourhood.

D. Notes on vulnerable roads

Some roads are more vulnerable than others. These are:

1. Roads or parts of roads where houses do not have other houses facing them i.e. there are no opposite neighbours.

2. Roads where there are many cars parked on the road (note that cars belonging to

thieves can easily “blend in” with those of residents making them less obvious as

belonging to outsiders.)

3. Quiet roads with low volume of vehicle and/or pedestrian traffic.

Actions:

1 . Insist that vehicles which have no “Yellow” or “White” stickers should not be parked

near your house – especially vehicles from people working in “Uptown”.

2 . Security guards will adopt a more rigorous approach in their patrolling of certain

roads.

3 . Over and above the services provided by the security guards, please keep an eye on

your neighbour’s property.