Driveway Security

Marine Anti-Poaching Unit have officially started patrolling the Overstrand area and we are proud to announce that with the support of SAPS (South African Police Service), DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) and MCM (Marine and Coastal Management) we are well on our way to start delivering against our company mission

We cannot achieve any of our goals without the support of the community and together we will reduce poaching, crime and poverty in your area. If you see or suspect any suspicious activity you can send the information to our Operations line (0609072326) which will put you in direct contact with our response team, or if you wish to remain anonymous and share information, you can do this via our website (www.mapu.org.za) by completing the ‘Contact Us’ form.

We will do our best to keep you informed regarding safety and we would appreciate if you can share these articles if you find them useful, or simply send us a request if you want information on any specific security topics. Our initial ‘Safety First’ (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/being-smart-safety-marine-anti-poaching-unit) covered some hints and tips about your home and today we want to talk to you about driveway security.

When patrolling it is almost impossible to know if a property is permanently occupied or a holiday home. This is the same for poachers and/or criminals. They will observe your property and establish presence over time and might use an unoccupied premises for their own benefit.

If your driveway is secured by a gate and you are not home, even if you are just stepping out to the shop, ensure that the gate is always closed and locked. When gates are left unlocked or open, poachers can enter your property and hide their vehicles or equipment out of site. Driveway chains are equally important, ensure that they are intact and locked when you are not present.

If your driveway is currently not secured, particularly if your driveway is concealed or leads to enclosed ‘out-of-sight’ area, make sure you invest in a gate or driveway chain. In the interim alert your neighbor, street watch, security company or your local anti-poaching unit.

In addition, if you are spring-cleaning or upgrading your garden and have bags to be dumped, ensure you place these in bins and not on the side of the road. Poachers hide their stock or equipment in plain sight, thus don’t give them more opportunity to do harm. And of course, be aware of the baboons, you don’t want them to scatter your dirt across the neighborhood.

Basic principles of safety is: be aware of your surroundings, don’t take unnecessary risks and if it locks, lock it.