It’s no secret that South African crime and hijacking statistics are frightening at the moment. While it may look like the authorities are doing nothing about it, the truth is the scourge is so great that they just cannot cope. From this has risen a massive security sector that continues to grow, and in fact the authorities are forming more partnerships with private security firms than ever before to try to respond to a growing threat. Security at your home or office has become non-negotiable, and it seems as if you are never ahead of it with a constant need to upgrade to combat criminals that keep evolving.
If you think back 30 years or so, electric fences were the mainstay of embassies and military bases. Armed response was a foreign concept to many of us and a panic button was something reserved for a fighter pilot’s ejector seat. These days, the absence of these in any home or business seems absolutely ludicrous and ‘asking for trouble’. Think about your own home security- I am willing to bet it’s the best of what you can afford and what is available. You wouldn’t put a price on your families lives or your assets where you can do something about it, would you?
We secured our homes and our offices, so where to next for a criminal? The biggest crime threat, and we have one of the worst stats in the world, is vehicle hijacking or assault. We have become so numb to it that we believe if we have a tracking device and anti-smash-and-grab film we are fine. How often have you heard the phrase ‘they can have the car, as long as you are okay’? Yes we absolutely agree, cars can be replaced and lives cannot, but the brutal reality is that these crimes are violent and fatal, not to mention debilitating and traumatic. We are also far too quick to think ‘it will never happen to me’ until it does, and then it is too late. The spate of cash in transit heists have claimed innocent casualties, there are targeted attacks on high-profile individuals, kidnapping stats nobody wants you to know about and more. There has never been a greater threat against a South African motorist than there is right now, and because it is easy work for a criminal with no regard for human life, it is going to get far worse.
So the question then is what can you do about this? How do you protect yourself? Your first line of defense is common sense, awareness and planning. Some say you should arm yourself, drive over them, hoot and scream and all sorts of crazy suggestions that are only going to get you hurt or worse. If it is within your means, your best and last line of defense is an armoured vehicle, when all the common sense, awareness and planning has failed you and you are in a situation that is literally life or death, an armoured vehicle is the ultimate protection available to you. Let it be said though that an armoured vehicle doesn’t give you licence to be careless or arrogant- the last thing we want is for you to ever need it, but what we do want is for you to have the assurance and peace of mind that if that day ever comes, you are safe. You may never need your electric fence, but I bet you never turn it off…
Just as you are able to rest easy at night in a security estate, with tight access control and kids riding their bicycles around the clubhouse- a privilege you have paid dearly for- so does an armoured car grant you that serenity whilst you are on the road. The only thing you have to gain is peace of mind. What you have to lose if you don’t, and you can, is a little more dramatic… To share a quote from one of our clients: ‘I can afford it and I would never live with myself if something happened to my family and I didn’t do what I could to protect them. In truth the cost is equivalent to a few international family holidays, a compromise I will happily make to keep my family safe.’