|
 |
As many expats choose to vacate their homes for the summer home leave,
Christmas, or New Year's holidays, it is time to spare a moment to consider your domestic security. Lebaran (the holiday period at the
end of the fasting month of Ramadan) is another time that you may become more vulnerable
to incidents of theft.
There are a number of measures that you
can take to significantly reduce your risk exposure:
- Always maintain harmonious relationships with your domestic staff
and neighbors. This one of the best forms of risk mitigation for domestic
security. Over the years it has been our observation that those expatriates
who have had poor relationships with their domestic staff were more
likely to become victims of theft. Current or previous disgruntled domestic staff who are familiar with your routines can use your absence as an opportunity to steal items from your home. One of the many advantages of developing good relationships with your neighbors is that they are likely to alert you as to when they may hear of or notice problems starting to develop with your domestic staff or suspicious activity outside your home.
- Continually remind domestic staff not to admit unauthorized visitors,
even if they are expatriates. Well-intended staff will sometimes allow
strangers into homes for the fear of causing insult. There are many
documented cases where foreigners have stolen goods from houses in recent
years. Be very clear that if you have not given instructions for specific individuals to
be allowed into your home during your absence, then they are not to
be admitted.
- Remind your staff to be cautious about giving sensitive information,
especially in relation to your whereabouts, to those telephoning your
home. It is one of the best methods for organized thieves to identify
windows of opportunity to steal. Staff
need only reply to a curious caller "I am sorry, he/she is not
here at the moment, please leave me your name and number so that he/she
can return your call." Caution them not to give details on where
you have gone or how long you will be gone.
- Remind your staff to as much as possible, to carry out their usual
household routines. This would indicate to the casual observer that
you are still at home. For example leaving the lights on at night, mowing
the lawns, cleaning the windows, etc.
- Ask colleagues from the office or friends to telephone or visit your
house unannounced. This serves to both test the effectiveness of the
instructions you left with your staff, along with lowering the temptation
for your staff to steal or have their
own vacation during your absence. You might consider occasionally calling
home for any phone messages to reinforce the message.
- If you have not already done so, it is recommended that you take photocopies
of your domestic staffs' identity cards (KTP) as well as having photographs
of them on file. Be sure to obtain the details of their next of kin
and home address. In your vetting process you should have had their
references and bonafides verified. It is advised that you or a trusted person should have also visited them
at their house or kos (rooming house) to verify their place of domicile.
It is also advised that you store the KTP copies and other details in
your home safe or at the office. These measures also serve
to lower the temptation for any staff facing a monetary difficulty to
steal from you. If you feel it is necessary, background checks can be done on domestic staff through companies such as G4S for a small charge. If you have obtained your staff through reconmendations of another expat, you may feel this is not necessary. However if you want to eliminate any reservations, a background check can help to alleviate concerns you may have.
- Lock areas of your home or closets that the household staff do not need access to. Many apartments and homes have been designed to allow the domestic staff only access to the kitchen and working quarters. They may be relieved that it is a lot less for them to take care of in your absence.
Having taken these few precautions, you should be able to enjoy your
home leave with peace of mind.
Our thanks to Colliers
International and Control Risks Group
for their generous contribution of this article!
Other Articles Related to Safety Concerns
|
|
