Security Tips for your work

Spy Shop SA has Spy Cameras, Spy Pens and Spy Watches plus we like to give you security tips:

While it's difficult to protect your home from professional thieves, most home burglaries are done by amateurs. These thieves are more easily thwarted if you employ some of these simple security precautions:

Plan to "burglarize" yourself. You'll discover any weaknesses in your security system that may have previously escaped your notice.

Lock up your home, even if you go out only for a short time. Many burglars just walk in through an unlocked door or window.

Change all the locks and tumblers when you move into a new house.

For the most effective alarm system, conceal all wiring. A professional burglar looks for places where he or she can disconnect the security system.

Your house should appear occupied at all times. Use timers to switch lights and radios on and off when you're not at home.

If you have a faulty alarm that frequently goes off, get it fixed immediately and tell your neighbors that it's been repaired. Many people ignore an alarm that goes off periodically.

A spring-latch lock is easy prey for burglars who are "loiding" experts. Loiding is the method of slipping a plastic credit card against the latch tongue to depress it and unlock the door. A deadbolt defies any such attack. It is only vulnerable when there is enough space between the door and its frame to allow an intruder to use power tools or a hacksaw.

If you lose your keys, change the locks immediately.

Before turning your house key over to a professional house cleaner for several hours, make sure the person is honest and reputable as well as hardworking. Check all references thoroughly. If the house cleaner is from a firm, call your local Better Business Bureau to check on the firm's reputation.

Instead of keeping a spare key in a mailbox, under the doormat, or on a nail behind the garage, wrap the key in foil -- or put it in a 35mm film can -- and bury it where you can easily find it if you need it.

Don't leave notes for service people or family members on the door. These act as a welcome mat for a burglar.

If the entrances to your home are dark, consider installing lighting with an infrared detector. Most thieves don't want to be observed trying to get in a door.

Talk to your neighbors about any suspicious people or strange cars you notice lurking about.
To keep your tools from being stolen, paint the handles. Thieves avoid items that are easy to identify.

Trees located near windows or shrubbery that might shield a burglar from view can be major flaws in your home-protection plan. Consider your landscaping plan in light of your protection needs.

Ask for credentials from any sales-person who requests entry to your home. Ask that their ID be pushed under the door. Many professional burglars use this cover to check out homes. If you're doubtful, check with the person's office before letting him or her in.

Do not list your full name on your mailbox or your entry in the telephone book. Use only your initial and your last name.

If someone comes to your door asking to use the phone to call a mechanic or the police, keep the door locked and make the call yourself.

Dogs are good deterrents to burglars. Even a small, noisy dog can be effective -- burglars do not like to have attention drawn to their presence. Be aware, however, that trained guard dogs do not make good pets. Obedience training and attack training are entirely different, and only the former is appropriate for a house pet.

Be safe and click on this link to get some awesome Spy Cameras: www.spyshopsa.co.za

Chat soon Spy Fans!

Agent 007

Home Security Tips

We always get asked about security here at Spy Shop SA. Here are some awesome tips thanks to the cool people at: http://www.selfsecure.co.za/

Learn the following:

• How to prevent becoming a victim of a hijacking
• How to protect your family in your own home
• Which security measures make more sense than others?

Simple, common sense and easy to use information that could be invaluable in protecting your home, your family and of course you. Simply click here for more information about the free course.

Crime, often violent crime, in South Africa is a fact of life. Hardly anyone can claim not to have been personally affected, either through personal experience or having a close friend or family member become a victim. Your daily life is most likely influenced by the fear of crime - where you travel, places you avoid, the way you treat strangers, your general state of awareness or anxiety. Most households will spend money each month on some form of security. Its really only the extent of this cost that varies: armed response, car tracking units, burglar bars, security guards, theft insurance, alarms, locks, gates.... the list goes on.

There is no product or service that can provide 100% safety and security. Its all a matter of getting as close to secure as possible, but the eternal battle between criminals and their victims is in continual flux. As new products are developed, criminals find ways to get around them. You need to stay a few, or at least one step ahead of them.

Don’t become a statistic. Use common sense, the experience of others and technology to make you and your family’s lives safer.

This web site will provide you with the tools and information to help you protect both yourself and your family.

The main crimes that cause the states of anxiety and fear in which so many of us live our daily lives are (in order of severity):

1. House robbery.
2. Hijacking (car robbery).
3. House breaking (burglary).
4. Smash and grab (theft out of motor vehicle).

We have specifically excluded less common, although very serious crimes and “social” crimes committed by people known to the victim. Those require a different solution and that is not the topic of this web site. There are other serious crimes, but not as wide spread as the above and there are more common crimes, but they are seldom as traumatic, even if they are unpleasant.

Our solutions are not 100% effective all the time and they don’t cover every possible situation. That is quite simply impossible and anyone who tells you otherwise is talking rubbish. We will however give you ideas on how to drastically improve the safety of your environment.  Our solutions are typically relevant for residents living in the suburbs of South Africa as that is where our experience lies. However the solutions are not necessarily high in cost, in fact much of it comes at no cost at all. You get to decide how much time, effort and money you want to throw at the problem.

Our approach is two fold. We will expose you to information on how to create a safe environment and we will then also show you various bits of technology that will enhance and complement the information. The information and technology is continually changing,  and this makes regular email the most effective way to keep you up to date with changes in equipment, new ideas and the latest methods used by criminals.

Amazingly, despite our horrific crime statistics in South Africa, we are still remarkably apathetic when it comes to changing our lifestyles. If we were  to dump a book with all our information and a box with all the necessary equipment in your entrance hall, it would probably stay there and never get used. We’re just too busy. Even if you did read the book, implementing the ideas would always be put off for another day. That is why we have chosen the regular email method. The information stays current, we can take on the challenge in small, bite size steps and we can keep reminding and motivating.

At this stage many people become worried about being spammed. My policy is simple, I don’t sell email addresses, period. I have information which I believe will benefit many South Africans and the best way to get it to them is by email. If you still remain concerned, open up a free gmail account and use that as your email address. In some cases its probably a good idea anyway as some South African service providers may treat our mail as spam and delete it without telling you or me. Just don’t forget to log on and check. your gmail account for messages every now and then.

Our solutions will focus primarily on the typical South African suburban household, but many ideas and products will work elsewhere too. By eliminating or at least greatly reducing the chances of any of the common big 4 crimes ( house robbery, hijacking, burglary and smash & grabs) we can help create an environment around your South African home which at least compares suitably with lifestyles else where in the world.

South Africa without violent crime would be one of the best places in the world to live.

To sign up for the emailed information on protecting yourself, your family and your home, click here.

Product review: The Bionic Ear- 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone

The Bionic Ear- 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone:

My favorite aspect of the Bionic Ear - 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone is the fact that it comes with a monocular so you can see whatever object you're looking at up to 8x better in magnitude. The thing that stands out the most about the Bionic Ear - 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone is the knob that comes on it. The knob allows you to adjust your sound and your sound reception. The reason for the knob is so that you can focus on one sound and one sound only. It helps you adjust your wanted noise and drown out the surrounding noises that may be included.

The Bionic Ear - 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone comes with a pair of headphones so you can really drown out the extras and get up close and personal with whatever you're listening to.

The one thing I disliked about the Bionic Ear - 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone was that it takes batteries There isn't a way for you to plug up and charge, you have to rely of batteries to carry you. I'm not a big fan of batteries and most of the time the run out on my anyway. I'm used to have items that allow me to at least hook up to my computer. I can't even do that with the Bionic Ear - 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone.

Other than what I mentioned the Bionic Ear - 100 Meters Sound Distance + Quality Headphone is an exceptional piece of work. Its for anyone who have a hard time of hearing in a crowded place or for someone who wants to get up close and personal with a very in tense project.

Written by: http://voices.yahoo.com/the-bionic-ear-100-meters-sound-distance-quality-headphone-4164229.html?cat=15

Need a cool pair for yourself or your family? Here is the link: http://www.spyshopsa.co.za/product/153-bionic-ear-quality-headphone

Tips to keep your car safe

Your car is likely one of the most expensive investments you’ll ever make. As such, you want to protect it from theft and vandalism much in the same way you want to protect your house. You also want to make sure that no one steals anything important out of your car. When it comes to securing your vehicle, you can spend big bucks on alarms, tracking systems, locks, and disconnect switches. However, if you’d rather not lay out that kind of money, there are quite a few things you can do to secure your car that are free or very inexpensive. Here are some easy steps you can take to secure your car.

Lock the doors

This is the easiest thing to do, but a lot of people forget. When you park your car (even in your own driveway), lock the doors and roll up the windows. Thieves look for an easy opportunity and an unlocked car is one of the easiest. There was a rash of car “break-ins” in my area not long ago and the only vehicles that were affected were the unlocked ones. The thieves didn’t bother with the locked cars. Too much effort, time, and risk of detection is involved. So lock the doors.

Don’t leave valuables in plain view

Don’t leave GPS’s, cell phones, purses, laptops, or shopping purchases in plain view, even if you’re parked at home. Secure them in the trunk, but make sure no one is looking when you do. And if you do put your items in the trunk, lock the doors since the trunk can be popped from inside the car. Better yet, take valuables out of the car entirely. Thieves can see a GPS holder, laptop stand or charger, etc. and may take the chance that the item is still in the car.

Park in the garage, if possible

If you have a garage at home, use it. It’s more secure than your driveway. If your garage is too full of junk to get the car in, clean out the garage. If you live in a more urban area and you have the option of parking in a monitored, gated garage, take it if you can afford it. The harder it is to get to your car, the less likely it is to be stolen.

Park wisely

When you park your car, try to park under lights, near security cameras, or in a well-traveled area. These make it more likely that someone will see a thief messing with your car and call the police. Thieves don’t like to be watched.

Don’t buy a car that’s a target

You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you don’t buy a car that’s a target in the first place. Some are targeted because of their style, such as luxury or sports cars, while others are targeted because their parts are in demand. Your insurance company likely has a list of most frequently stolen cars that they will share with you so you can avoid those models.

Buy a locking gas cap

While a cap won’t keep your car from being stolen, it does make it so that if your car is stolen the thieves will have a harder time filling up. This increases the chance that they won’t get far and may be caught by police. It also helps prevent thieves from siphoning gas out of your tank — a crime that always seems to spike when gas prices rise.

Always take your keys with you

Never leave the keys in the ignition or in the car. That’s just making it way too easy for the thieves.

Never leave the car running unattended

It’s tempting to leave the car running while you run in to the coffee shop or up to the ATM. People also leave cars running to warm them up in the winter. Don’t do it. Thieves watch for these opportunities and it only takes them a second to get in that car and take off.

Protect personal information

Don’t keep your registration in the car, and don’t keep any paperwork with personal or financial information in the car. If a thief steals your car, they may not stop at that. Identity theft is easy with a registration and if they get banking information, it’s easy to clean out your account. Also, with your home address, they know where you live and may decide to rob that, too (particularly if they got your keys).

Don’t use a hide-a-key

Even if you think it’s impossible to find, it isn’t. Thieves know where to look. Give someone you trust a spare key and call them if you have a problem, or get a service like AAA.

Don’t leave your car keys in an obvious place in your home

If thieves break into your home, they often look for car keys. You car will make an ideal get away vehicle and cap off their robbery of your home. Don’t leave the keys on the table, or on a hook by the door. Put them somewhere less obvious.

Mark your car

You can inscribe the VIN number on the engine, on the hood, in the trunk, and on the windows. This makes a car unattractive to thieves because it is now much more difficult to change the car’s identity. It’s also easier for the cops to find if they raid a chop shop or catch the criminals joyriding in your car.

Avoid long-term parking

Thieves know the owners aren’t likely to come back soon and long-term lots are often poorly policed. Get someone to give you a ride or take a taxi to the airport. If you do park in long-term, you can take some simple steps to disable your car such as disconnecting a battery cable, or disconnecting the distributor cap. Thieves often won’t try to figure out what’s wrong with the car, they’ll just move on. It takes too much time and is obvious if they go poking around under the hood.

Courtesy of: http://www.savingadvice.com

Need some Car Trackers? Look at our awesome selection at Spy Shop SA!

Top 10 home security tips

Security is of paramount importance to any South African household and the more you know, the more secure you'll be.

Chubb Security South Africa proposes that homeowners keep the following 10 simple but crucial security tips in mind as they start the New Year.

1. Seek qualified advice from a security consultant who will carry out a risk assessment and recommend an alarm system specifically suited to your property.

2. Make sure that your chosen security provider is a registered member of the South African Intruder Detection Service Associations (SAIDSA) as this is a guarantee that any work carried out by them and equipment installed meets the appropriate industry standards.

3. Test your alarm at least once a month and request the services of a technician immediately if your alarm is faulty. It is important to remember to inform your security provider that you are putting your system into the "Test" mode.

4. Where possible, install exterior lighting that can be controlled remotely from inside the house. It is also worth considering demand lighting which is activated by a motion detector.

5. Try to reduce foliage and bushes in the vicinity of your driveway as these act as good hiding places for would-be criminals.

6. Increase visibility – Do you have any high walls or tall hedges obscuring your view of the property? Try to remove these if possible.

7. Automatic gates are preferable as you don't have to leave the safety of your vehicle in order to access your premises.

8. Create a "safe area" in your home by fitting a wrought iron gate or an expanding grille gate into which the family can retreat in an emergency.

9. Install a safe to store valuable items and copies of keys. Wall safes are usually not fireproof and therefore not suitable for cash or documents.

10. Add an emergency number to the speed-dial function on your phone.

These tips are from:  http://www.property24.com/articles/top-10-home-security-tips/11061

For more tips, please speak to the guys and girls at Spy Shop SA..

Tips For Outdoor Activities During the Summer (keep safe)

With summer in full swing, outdoor activities such as road running, walking and biking are more and more appealing to fitness fanatics and those just wanting to enjoy South Africa´s crisp summer mornings and beautiful evenings.

“It is essential that one practices certain important precautions when venturing out for a walk, run or a bike ride,” says Roy Rawlins, Managing Director of ADT Johannesburg

According to Rawlins there are several tips to consider when heading out for your outdoor activity of choice:

Tell someone that you are going out and what time you expect to return
Try to vary your route and schedule as much as possible
Avoid heading out at dusk or at night
Avoid non-savoury areas
It is advisable not to listen to music while out as you may not hear an approaching car, truck, suspect or even a dog
Wear bright reflective clothing at all times – a simple reflector on your shoes will not suffice
Carry some form of identification
Carry your mobile with you
Carry mace with you
Carry small change in case of an emergency
“Unfortunately accidents or an attack can happen while you are out on a leisurely stroll, or while you are training,” concludes Rawlins. “The tips provided could save your life and the life of others.’’
From: www.adt.co.za

Crime Facts in SA Part 1

Welcome to our new series on 'Crime facts and stats in South Africa''. Crime is shocking in South Africa and is at an unacceptable level. Here are some stats for you to feast on:

More people murdered in Nyanga (Western Cape) than anywhere else in the country.
Over One hundred and Sixty One Thousand people murdered in South Africa since 2004
47% of all drug related crime in the country occur in the Western Cape.
5900 crimes are reported by the SAPS everyday day!
Over 43 people murdered on average everyday in South Africa.
The world average for murder is 7.6 per 100 000 people. Murder in South Africa is 36.5 per 100 000.
Honduras stats show that 60.9 people are murdered per 100 000. That's nearly twice as many as South Africa!!
It`s been estimated that SA has lost R650-billion to corruption over the last 18 years.
More than 2 million crimes were reported by the SAPS for the twelve months between 2010/2012.
Nearly 16000 people were murdered in SA in the twelve months between 2011/2012.
KZN is the highest murder province in South Africa. Then the Eastern Cape followed by Gauteng .
Over 400 drug related crimes reported daily.
Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape reports the more crime than any other precinct in the country.
There are 29 different crime categories used by the SAPS for reporting crime stats.
There are about 1118 precincts (police stations) in South Africa.

Stats and Facts Courtesy of:  http://www.crimestatssa.com

Scary right? Get yourself protected with the wide range of Spy Cams and Gadgets that we have on www.spyshopsa.co.za