Eminently Eve
If you have been following up on the news lately you will know that car theft, car jacking & smash and grab attacks in Zimbabwe are on the rise. Here are some tips that I try to use as I travel or drive around in order to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of car theft, car jacking or smash and grab attacks in Zimbabwe.
1. Not leaving ANYTHING lying around in the car
When you leave things lying around in your car, you attract thieves. In most cases you will be advised not to leave valuable things like laptops, cellphones, purses and wallets. However, I find it better to not leave anything at all lying around. Be it clothing, food, empty laptop bags or any type of bag, or groceries. This is because the term “valuable” is subjective. What is of low value to you, may be of high value to somebody else, especially in the Zimbabwean context. Therefore, I try to make sure that the only things that are left in the vehicle are fitted things that I can not remove.
2. Closing windows, locking doors & never leaving keys in the ignition or spare keys any where near the car
Sounds like a no-brainer right?… Well, no actually because while this is something we may be aware of, we tend to take some situations for granted and end up not applying this rule at ALL times.
However, whether I am at church, or just stopped at a friend’s or relative’s place to pick up something quickly or just stepped out to open the gate to drive into the yard; as long as I am stepping out of the vehicle, I always try to remember to lock doors & windows and most definitely remove the keys from the ignition. Thieves have a tendency of studying our routine. The more we do something (especially something that renders us vulnerable or easy targets), the more we get comfortable doing it. Then that one day, when we least expect it, the vehicle gets stolen or we become victims of a “smash & grab” attack.
3. Parking in well lit areas, areas designated for parking & which have security
This is something that a lot of people take for granted especially in big cities like Harare where sometimes unoccupied parking slots are not easy to find. In other cases, some people are just not comfortable driving right into the CBD where there are designated secure parking areas. Therefore, some people end up parking in the periphery of the CBD and just ask random people, (may be vendors) to watch over their vehicle. This is highly dangerous because in engaging with strangers we are identifying ourselves and showing that we are vulnerable. In most cases we have also already shared information like the time that we will be coming back, thereby giving the thieves ample time to do whatever they want with the vehicle. They may even follow us and mug us to get the car keys. So I never entrust anyone to watch over my vehicle except only in secure parking lots.
Which reminds me of this one time when I parked my car in the CBD but didn’t realise my discs had expired so the city council police officers clamped my car. It was an innocent mistake so I was surprised to see that. Then they suggested to remove the clamp, hop in the car with me & we drive to their offices to make wthe payment… WHAT?! No way I was going to trust two strangers & allow them into my car & drive around with them. Granted they may very well have been harmless but sis is not taking any chances. I was prepared to walk to the offices & make the payment. Luckily though my husband was in the vicinity so he came & we drove to the offices. Bottom line is I do not trust ANYONE with my car even someone in uniform. Which also brings us to the 4th tip.
4. Avoiding putting car keys in areas which are easy to access.
Such areas include purses (especially those loosely carry on the shoulder), satchel, back pockets or even front pockets if they are not deep enough. Thieves nowadays watch out for that. At first it will look like they have just mugged your purse but by the time you get to where you had parked your vehicle you then realize that your vehicle is gone. So I always try to keep my keys somewhere really secure and not easy for a thief to just grab and go.
5. Paying attention at intersections
This I have been warned by many people that if your vehicle gets bumped, it’s important to pay attention that it is actually not a trap for you to step out and then they steal your vehicle. This has been happening quite a lot lately especially in Harare and Bulawayo. So if you have been bumped, stay in the car, doors and windows locked, call the police and wait until police officers come. Even if other people who seem to be pedestrians come, stay in the vehicle. Most of the time these thieves work as syndicates, and they can be both males and females. Some may even be seemingly innocent, carrying children. Thieves know that we are naturally drawn to trusting women especially those with children. So I try to not fall victim of that by not trusting anyone at all.
There have also been many instances of smash & grab attacks taking place at certain intersections in our larger cities, particularly at night. One way of avoiding such attacks (not an easy one) is to try & time one’s approach to an intersection so as to coincide with a green light thus to avoid being stationery right at the position where potential attackers may be lying in wait.
6.Installing an audible alarm system, vehicle tracking system and an immobilizer system
An audible alarm system is a system installed on a vehicle which makes a loud hooting noise or an attention grabbing siren tone if it has been triggered. This option is preferred over the silent alarm as it makes enough noise to scare the thief away. It also grabs the attention of other people in the vicinity which normally would cause the thief to sprint away to avoid getting caught or questioned. A vehicle tracking system mainly uses GPS technology to track where a vehicle is. This will also help in retrieving the vehicle if the thief proceeds to drive away with the vehicle anyway even after the alarm has gone. Most modern vehicles come with an immobilizer system which shuts down the engine if any other key than the original one with an embedded chip is being used or other equipment which may be used to try and bypass the original key. In case your car keys get stolen as well then an additional immobilizer system which you can operate using your phone or computer to shut down the engine can come in very handy. There are companies in Zimbabwe that offer these services.
These are some of the tips I try to follow & hopefully they will help you reduce the chances of your vehicle getting stolen and possibly never retrieving it too.
Remember to always have a little intimacy in your life, & as always I’m talking about intimacy with nature.
