{"id":223184,"date":"2019-11-10T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T05:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/?p=223184"},"modified":"2019-11-11T15:19:20","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T13:19:20","slug":"smash-grabs-can-avoid-happening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2019\/11\/10\/smash-grabs-can-avoid-happening\/","title":{"rendered":"Smash-and-grabs \u2013 how you can avoid it happening to you"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Opportunistic criminals rely on the element of surprise to strike at unsuspecting motorists.<\/p>\n<p>The best way to prevent a smash-and-grab from happening to you, is to be alert.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cSmash-and-grabs sadly happen across most cities and end up turning what should be a pleasant drive into a nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust recently in Cape Town, a video was shared of a motorist being robbed when he was stuck in slow-moving traffic.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cAnd in Gauteng, warnings are regularly issued about hot spots where smash-and-grabs are common occurrences,\u201d said Charnel Hattingh, national marketing and communications manager for Fidelity ADT.<\/p>\n<p>Would-be robbers are normally on the lookout for distracted drivers with clearly visible valuable items that are easy to access, explained Hattingh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are looking for something that they can easily and quickly grab before running off while the driver is too shocked and surprised to respond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLaptops and handbags on front seats are popular items that have been stolen in smash-and-grabs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>What can you do to protect yourself?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe two most important things to do, is to always pay attention to your surroundings and to never leave valuable items in clear sight to any passing pedestrian.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/223083\/woman-arrested-in-connection-with-her-babys-death\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Woman arrested in connection with her baby\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center\"><a class=\"anchor_post\" href=\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/214893\/suspects-arrested-for-various-offences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Suspects arrested for various offences<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCriminals don\u2019t need a lot of time to strike \u2013 if you look at the video of the recent incident in Cape Town, for example, you will see how incredibly quickly the whole incident can happen,\u201d said Hattingh.<\/p>\n<p><strong>She offered the following tips and advice:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Leave valuable items in the boot or store them safely under your seats.<\/li>\n<li>If you find yourself in an area where traffic is moving very slowly (for example, because of congestion or due to a defective traffic light) make sure you keep your eyes open for any pedestrian movement around your vehicle.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid distractions. Your focus should be on the safe operation of your vehicle and nothing else. The phone call and the cigarette can wait.<\/li>\n<li>Lock your doors and keep the windows closed.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid sitting in your car for a prolonged period of time (along the side of the road or perhaps in a parking garage) where you potentially become an easy target, while concentrating on a phone call or something else that distracts your attention from your surroundings.<\/li>\n<li>Leave a gap between you and the car in front of you to give you room to escape (i.e. drive away from any incident), if anything should happen.<\/li>\n<li>Consider installing special window safety film. It is usually tinted so that no one can see into the car, while also preventing the windows from shattering.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe key point to remember in all of this, is the need for vigilance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can already make a massive difference in avoiding a smash-and-grab by simply paying attention to what is happening around you.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you see anything suspicious, make sure you report it to the closest police station or to law enforcement as soon as possible, so that fellow motorists can also be protected,\u201d said Hattingh.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Hav<\/strong><strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a class=\"anchor_post\" href=\"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-admin\/germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za\">germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a class=\"anchor_post\" href=\"mailto:leighh@caxton.co.za\">leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Ashley Kiley (Journalist)\u00a0<strong><a class=\"anchor_post\" href=\"mailto:ashleyk@caxton.co.za\">ashleyk@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Also follow us on:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a class=\"anchor_post\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/germistoncitynews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-210323\" src=\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/07\/Facebook.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"62\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a class=\"anchor_post\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GCNnews?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full 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style=\"text-align: center\"><a class=\"anchor_post\" href=\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/newsletter-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-210327 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/07\/Newsletter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"210\" height=\"62\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix\" style=\"text-align: center\"><\/div>\n<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-below-post-content\">\n<div class='tenancy_slot tenancy_slot_1 jannah_ad' style='display: none;' data-query-id='7913395a939e9ef7c4cab2e55b3c82b1'><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Would-be robbers are normally on the lookout for distracted drivers with clearly visible valuable items that are easy to access, explained Hattingh.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":198138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"Content provided","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,2],"tags":[989,14287,979,969,2734,1806],"class_list":["post-223184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-crime-news","category-news-headlines","tag-crime","tag-fidelity-adt","tag-germiston","tag-germiston-city-news","tag-melissa-hart","tag-smash-and-grabs"],"amp_enabled":true,"category_labels":{"Category":"News","SubCategory":"Crime News"},"tag_labels":["crime","Fidelity ADT","germiston","germiston city news","melissa hart","smash and 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