While being a victim of crime is a frightening prospect, what is even more frightening, is the possibility of a family member being hurt or abducted through that crime. Unfortunately, however, the incidence of this is quite high in South Africa.
It is for this reason that Legratron Electronics is facing the issue of abduction head on. The managing director of Legratron Electronics, Itumeleng Matshego, explains: “We have a solution that helps people avoid the cost and hassle of losing their valuables. Yet, there is something much more important that we are just as vulnerable to lose but which has a much greater cost: our children.
“Consequently, we now offer parents a watch for children that looks and works exactly like many other smart watches on the market, except, with one critical difference. The main objective of the watch is to prioritise the safety of the child. Parents can track the movements of their children using it. There is also an emergency button that parents can teach their children to discreetly push should they feel threatened,” says Matshego.
Legratron tries to account for all eventualities. “We know that someone with bad intentions likely knows enough to remove items like watches and cellphones. Consequently, we designed this watch to immediately send an alert to the parent along with the child’s location as soon as the watch is taken off.
“We also offer a small, additional GPS module. This becomes a secondary fail-safe option which tracks the child in the same way as the watch. It can communicate with up to seven GPS satellites for high accuracy in location. The small module also has call functionality, fall detection and can be used to monitor speed and other anomalies in your child’s behaviour. For safety reasons, we can’t reveal more but do contact us for further information.”
Legratron is also making use of geofence technology to increase the safety of children. “You can set a geofence safety area so that as soon as your child moves out of that area, you receive a notification. Phone calls can also only be received from pre-programmed numbers to provide additional security as well.”
As a father, Matshego understands the importance of protecting your children. “I understand that a GPS watch is not a failproof way to protect your children from all the dangers out there but it is a massive step in the right direction. The watch empowers you to be proactive when it comes to your children’s safety,” concludes Matshego.
