El Nino is a security threat

Nov 20, 2002

It was a long sweet night for many city-dwellers as it rained cats and dogs overnight from Friday 15 to Saturday 16 November

By John Kamya

It was a long sweet night for many city-dwellers as it rained cats and dogs overnight from Friday 15 to Saturday 16 November.

However, it was a nightmare for five families who fell victim to burglars.

They took advantage of the rain and within only two hours, they had ransacked homes in Kazo (Nabweru), Muyenga Zone II; Zone B, Mawanda Road (Kasasiro Zone) and Seguku (Naziba Zone). They took off with valuable household property like TVs, video decks, radios and money.

They also injured their victims, who tried to resist them.

As the El Nino rains continue to fall both during the day and at night, there is need for people to be extra alert because the thugs take advantage of the noise caused by the rains to attack households.

Thugs also know that even after it has rained during the day, because of the bad conditions and the cold, people tend to either sleep early or to oversleep and are therefore less likely to detect the noise that may be caused by the intruders.

Its important that any unusual noise heard during the rains is treated with suspicion and therefore cross-checked to confirm that it is not burglars breaking in.

“It is advisable that on top of the burglar proofing on their doors, people should add metal chains which, on top of extra strength, can make considerable noise in case of forceful entry,” James Ochaya, the officer in charge of the 999 Police Patrol unit, says.

Ochaya also advises that people should not hesitate to call the Police by dialling the 999 telephone number as the Police will do whatever is possible to respond to the calls.

“The lady in Kazo called us immediately after the burglary and we managed to intercept the thugs and recovered a colour TV, video deck and the axe they used to break in and injure their victim,” he adds.

The Police also advises residents not to leave their valuables in easily accessible places such as the sitting room.

“Thugs always want to take property with ease. They don't want to confront the owners. So if people can retire to their bedrooms with most of their valuable property, thugs may not access them,” Asan Kasingye, Ag. Commissioner of Police in Charge of Community Affairs, said.

This is also the time to review your home security features, especially the strength of your doors and windows.

It is important that you fit them with strong burglar-proofing. Fitting houses with alarm systems can also be a good measure. Many local companies deal in such products. Among them are Security Group, Ssekanyolya Systems, Securex, etc.

However, hiring a security guard is a sure way of keeping your home secure. You should not let the burglars win during this rainy season.

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