Private security has become as South African as braai and biltong. According to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira), South Africans spent just less than R70-billion with security companies in 2013.
And paying for protection against crime came, according to the Institute for Security Studies, a close second to putting food on the table.
“Security is the second basic need after food,” the Institute for Security Studies policing researcher Johan Burger told a newspaper last July. “Those that can afford it, even if it is difficult in the current financial times, will still hang on to private security. It’s not much use if you have everything else but you don’t feel safe.”
Yet despite this, South Africans aren’t nearly as safety-conscious as they most likely believe they are.
While South Africans are highly security conscious – so much so that we rank fourth-highest in the world in terms of average spend after Guatemala, India and Honduras, according to Africa Check – we lag far behind the global curve on home safety.
How many South Africans have invested in fire security, or first aid training? Outside of TV series, do people know what to do in the event of a heart attack or stroke?
South Africans are so focused on securing their persons and property against attack, that it’s easy to forget about overall safety in the home.
That is why we are launching National Home Security Month in June. Imported from the United Kingdom where it has been successfully trialled since 2013, National Home Security Month is aimed at creating awareness around the importance of home security.
While it might seem akin to selling oil to Saudi Arabia, when we look at South African homes and what security products homeowners are buying or investing in, it is clear that there is a need for guidance on the right products and solutions.
National Health Security Month will meet that need by providing South Africans with impartial, independent information, advice and guidance on home security and safety.
When it comes to security, many security-conscious South Africans are not well versed on the different options available, the importance of different security elements, or quality levels and how they differ, and often end up buying the incorrect product for the application, or being duped by unethical service providers.
And paying for protection against crime came, according to the Institute for Security Studies, a close second to putting food on the table.
“Security is the second basic need after food,” the Institute for Security Studies policing researcher Johan Burger told a newspaper last July. “Those that can afford it, even if it is difficult in the current financial times, will still hang on to private security. It’s not much use if you have everything else but you don’t feel safe.”
Yet despite this, South Africans aren’t nearly as safety-conscious as they most likely believe they are.
While South Africans are highly security conscious – so much so that we rank fourth-highest in the world in terms of average spend after Guatemala, India and Honduras, according to Africa Check – we lag far behind the global curve on home safety.
How many South Africans have invested in fire security, or first aid training? Outside of TV series, do people know what to do in the event of a heart attack or stroke?
South Africans are so focused on securing their persons and property against attack, that it’s easy to forget about overall safety in the home.
That is why we are launching National Home Security Month in June. Imported from the United Kingdom where it has been successfully trialled since 2013, National Home Security Month is aimed at creating awareness around the importance of home security.
While it might seem akin to selling oil to Saudi Arabia, when we look at South African homes and what security products homeowners are buying or investing in, it is clear that there is a need for guidance on the right products and solutions.
National Health Security Month will meet that need by providing South Africans with impartial, independent information, advice and guidance on home security and safety.
When it comes to security, many security-conscious South Africans are not well versed on the different options available, the importance of different security elements, or quality levels and how they differ, and often end up buying the incorrect product for the application, or being duped by unethical service providers.
