As more South African households acquire alternative power sources, a new trend is emerging where thieves are targeting solar panels, according to private security company Fidelity ADT.
“We have received complaints of solar panels being stolen from residences over the past several weeks, usually during the day when homeowners are at work,” the statement said.
According to Fidelity ADT, thieves constantly modify and adjust their behavioural patterns, making it crucial for homes to stay current with security trends. Almost R5 billion worth of residential solar equipment has been imported by South African homes in the past year as many try to avoid Eskom and extended periods of load shedding.
President Cyril Ramaphosa claims that rooftop solar panels on homes and businesses will be a significant new source of energy generation in the nation. The administration is now figuring out how to “unleash” this potential on a large scale.
The president stated that the federal government is examining ways to encourage wider rooftop solar adoption, including as creating a price mechanism for reselling extra electricity to the grid or offering tax advantages and other incentives to hasten the implementation.
At this week’s budget address, Finance Minister Encoh Godognwana is anticipated to offer further information on some of these measures (22 February).
Nonetheless, Fidelity ADT reported that there has been a rise in criminal activity as a result of the increased interest in solar among households nationwide.
Making your house less of a target by making it as difficult as you can for crooks to effectively carry out their intentions on your property is crucial to keep one step ahead of opportunistic criminals, it stated.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME SAFE:
- Ensure that your yard is well-lit at all times.
- Always have barrier security installed (electric fence, beams, sensor lights, burglar bars and interior detection).
- Lock tools and garden equipment away. Don’t let your stepladder be the means by which criminals get onto your balcony or roof.
- Never leave your wheelie bin out overnight, as criminals not only use these to climb on, but they also use them to transport stolen goods.
- Cut away excess shrubs and bushes, as this serves as a good hiding spot for criminals.
- Always keep your alarm armed. Make use of the different features your alarm offers (i.e. Stay mode, Sleep mode, Away mode).
- Join your local neighbourhood watch and street WhatsApp groups.
- Having visible armed response signage can also serve as a deterrent.
- Installing quality CCTV cameras around your premises will help SAPS with investigations and will also deter opportunistic criminals.
- It is also vital that all incidents are reported timeously to the police so that they can be logged as crime statistics.