Verification of Domestic Staff – A Must

People living in high-rise apartments seem to be the most vulnerable, going by the crime statistics. Very often gangs take up work as domestic workers, and their intent is to steal. They are simply waiting for the right opportunity. However, it is a myth that only recently hired domestics commit crimes. Domestic servants comprise of cook, driver, houseboy, housemaid, Aya and chowkidar (watchman), these are generally employed to work on full-time basis and also made to stay in the employer’s house for convenience of the employers. One has to keep in mind that any crimes by domestic workers are meticulously planned.

Recently, an 18-month-old son of a south Delhi businessman was allegedly kidnapped by the family’s domestic servant. Ishaan, an 18-month-old boy who was kidnapped from Delhi on Sunday, was rescued from Faridabad in Haryana on Wednesday. Ishaan was found at the Badarpur border area – he had been missing from his home in Maharani Bagh since Sunday. Four people have been arrested, including the maid – who took the boy out of his house on the pretext of taking him for a walk. Police say they had planned the kidnapping in the hope of earning quick money through ransom. (ibnlive.in.com/news)

Precautions against Domestic servants

People while employing domestic servants generally do not bother to check their background or verify their character and antecedent from the police. These domestic servants always look for people who are in need of a servant and quickly offer their services to them. Some intent to steal from the very first day and others become part and parcel of the house and gradually come to know about every thing in the house. Similarly they also come to know daily routine of each family members and weak areas in the house. If unverified domestic servant commits a crime in the house and runs away then it becomes very difficult for the police to trace.

Employing Domestic Servants

Faced with a series of offences being committed by domestic helps the city police requests residents, particularly senior citizens, to be extra cautious while employing servants. The residents have been advised to verify the antecedents of their servants before employing them in their houses. Following are some useful tips for employing a domestic servant.

• At any instance, servants should not be appointed based on mere references made by their acquaintance and relatives.

• Collect the details of the servants, including photographs, finger prints, details of previous employer and submit them at the nearest police stations along with their contact numbers as a precautionary measure.

• Avoid giving access to relatives and friends of Servants.

• Avoid displaying jewelry and valuables to him/her in the house.

• Good ‘references’ are not enough. Some who come with a good reference might be tempted to steal if they are exposed to temptation.

• It is advisable not to talk of money in his/her presence, or keep jewellery in the house.

• Treat domestic servants with dignity.

• Keep your domestic servant under your close observation at all times for any undesirable or suspicious activities and take action accordingly.

• Never let your domestic servant know the places where cash, jewellery, valuables and important keys of your house including keys of your cars are kept.

• If you can afford you can setup a spy camera, taking casually photos of the maid with the kids or alone. Ensure that you have recent & color photograph of your domestic Servants for future authentication.

Precaution against Abduction

Every year, thousands of children are reported missing, many of which never return. According to Delhi Police, 551 children have gone missing from the capital this year, with this month alone accounting for 176 such cases. Sometimes a domestic servant who has been dismissed by his employer due to misconduct or for some other reasons also take revenge by abducting kids, murdering family members or involving in other crimes. In most cases, once the husband leaves for office and the children for school, the housewife is alone with the domestic. The domestic servants are also hired to take care of kids where parents are working professionals.

• Whenever a new servant is employed, the nearest police station should be informed.

• His/Her photographs, fingerprints and other details must be obtained and verified by police official.

• Whenever any family plans to go out of the city for a long time, they should inform Police (beat officers), so that a special watch can be kept.

• Money transactions and other important family matters should not be discussed in the presence of servants or any outsiders.

• Teach your children that if a stranger comes up to them and asks them for help, it’s okay to refuse.

• Your child should not judge a person by his looks. Sometimes even a person your child is familiar with like servant, relatives or a neighbor – could turn out to be a kidnapper.

• Parents need to listen, and respect their children’s feelings.  Your children should come home and tell you about any incidents such as violence, exploitation and abuse. In many cases domestic servants have been found involved in child molestation and child abduction.

• Ask for previous employer references even if the domestic help is coming through word of mouth referral or through a domestic help agency.

• Retain a current photograph of the domestic help.

• Submit the application form at your local police station for domestic help verification.