Domestic crime is on the rise

Cases investigated by Justicia Investigations during the first half of 2013 have increased by 70% on the number of cases handled during the first half of last year. In July alone, Justicia has investigated ten incidents in the greater Durban area. Crimes investigated by Justicia cover a wide range - from stealing money or jewellery to staged break-ins to more sophisticated crimes such as passing on information taken from bank statements and financial documents to syndicates. "Although much theft within homes involves opportunistic, petty theft, criminals do use vulnerable people earning low wages to get information," says Alan Carey, operations director of Justicia Investigations.

Tight economy

Carey says the increase is the result of a combination of the pressures of a tight economy as well as greed. Theft of items such as jewellery are often discovered well after they have occurred, making it difficult to recover items. "A domestic crime is painful and stressful because it has happened so close to home. Small things lead to bigger crimes and, once a trust relationship has been violated, it is gone. Unfortunately, people don't act when they should because they are often afraid that the culprits will come back," he says.

However, he stresses that if correct procedures that protect the rights of both employer and employee are followed and homeowners are aware of and use the expertise available to them, this seldom happens. A broad guideline is that employers of domestic workers should take the same approach as they would in the workplace. An expensive professional labour expert is not always needed, but employers should follow standard disciplinary procedures, document a disciplinary hearing and, should the crime be proved, get the perpetrator to sign an admission of guilt before dismissal.

Polygraphs are invaluable

Most importantly of all, employers should do a full evaluation and pre-employment check on new employees, especially those in a position of trust or caring for children or the elderly. He says that polygraphs are often seen as a last resort but are actually an invaluable screening tool. Tests conducted by Justicia's polygraph division have uncovered applicants with criminal records and identified known and wanted felons. Polygraphs are easy to organise and cost around R600 which is far less than the value of what could be stolen.

Carey adds that using an independent third party helps during sensitive investigations. "When you suspect a person in your own home, you are usually right 90% of the time. When we listen to a person, we take out the emotion, look at the circumstances and extract the details. We take the problem away from the employer."