Mom teaches children that handbag theft is one way to acquire new things.

When we see brazen crime like this happening around us it is easier to understand why handbag theft and mugging is so common.
How can we expect crime to decrease when children are being taught and encouraged that it’s okay to steal ?
We urge husbands to forward these handbag theft tips onto your wives and for ladies to share them with your moms, sisters and girlfriends to remind all women to be extra aware of their surroundings, especially over this festive period.

Avoid handbag theft with these safety hints for public areas:

• Avoid sitting at tables on the outskirts of restaurants. If the restaurant you want to go to is packed and there are no inside seats, move on to the next one. Don’t give criminals the opportunity to pinch your belongings.
• Only take the essentials into the mall. I promise you don’t need everything in your handbag when you’re going shopping. There are two main items you need, your phone and bankcard. If you really need to, perfume can be sprayed by the car and make-up can be touched up before heading into the shop so you can bring as little as possible into the shop with you.
• Use a safer type of handbag for your essential items. The cross body bag is a convenient little bag that is worn across the body to keep it  more secure than an off-the-shoulder bag or even worse, a regular hand-held handbag. If you are not sure what the bag looks like, type in “Cross body bag” on Pinterest and find out exactly what I am talking about. If you don’t have a cross body bag, it’s time to buy one (think of it as a safety investment rather than a closet investment)

Please send through any tips that you make use of to keep your belongings safe in public areas to siren@bluesecurity.co.za.