New insurance product from Hollard gives violent crime victims a private investigator and trauma counsellors to take their lives back

A new innovative insurance product will now pay for a private investigator as well as trauma counselling for individuals or entire families following a violent crime.

“The situation in our country lent itself to the design of this product. Our citizens need special help and Hollard’s CounterAct is designed to support victims of violent crime in getting their lives back on track as well as increasing the chances of criminals being caught” says Warwick Bloom (pictured), a General Manager in the New Business Division at Hollard Insurance.

“Through no fault of their own and despite their best intentions, our police force is overburdened. This results in many cases going unsolved, which heaps helpless frustration on top of the trauma experienced by victims. In addition to a deep sense of injustice, victims remain in a state of fear knowing that their attackers are still at large and able to strike again. With a private investigator focused on tracking down the culprit there will be a sense of reassurance that the wheels of justice are turning.”

“In South Africa 30% of all serious crime is ‘contact crime’ involving violence that leaves victims with psychological damage. Achieving closure and reassurance through professional trauma counselling is another of the major problems CounterAct is designed to address in order to give people their futures back.”

SAPS statistics reveal that of the 237 853 burglaries at residences in South Africa in the year 2007/2008 62 703 were in Gauteng, 42 376 in the Western Cape and 37 203 in KZN. That translates to a burglary occurring somewhere in SA roughly every 2 minutes. Of the 36 190 rapes (or 4 every hour of every day) reported in the same period, 8000 were in Gauteng; 6502 in KZN; 5499 in Eastern Cape; and 4000 in the Western Cape. Of the 14 201 (1 every 37 minutes) car jackings reported to police in the same period, Gauteng tops the list with 7466 with KZN second at 3880.

“These numbers never truly capture the essence of each case in which victims are traumatised and their cases in many instances go unsolved. It is these numbers which got us thinking about how we could assist in rebuilding people’s lives following such incidents. CounterAct aims to reduce the level of long-term trauma suffered by victims, by providing direct psychological assistance through counselling and indirect psychological support through ensuring that each and every case is thoroughly investigated,” Bloom explains.

The policy also offers financial assistance by contributing towards unforeseen expenses such as increasing the level of home security, the cost of temporary accommodation or an extended hospital stay.

“Through the CounterAct initiative, Hollard wants to do something constructive about the level of unsolved cases while at the same time help to rebuild people’s lives in order to contribute to a society that is less fearful and more just.” Bloom points out that by taking just one criminal off the streets as many as 10 future crimes may go uncommitted.

CounterAct premiums range from R75 per month for a single person to R150 for an entire family with up to 5 children. The benefits include:

* immediate counselling on the telephone following an incident

* follow up face-to-face psychological counselling for everyone on the policy

* independent and approved investigators who will work with police in order to catch the culprit and prepare a strong case for prosecution

* up to R25000 (based on the amount you actually spend) to upgrade or repair your security or to meet other expenses incurred due to the incident (e.g. if you need accommodation while your house is made safe)

* R25000 if anyone on the policy is hospitalised for more than 48 hours due to injuries sustained in an incident

“We believe this will be a major product for our brokers as it really fills an urgent need in our country and for our clients,” Bloom says. More detailed information about CounterAct is available on www.hollard.co.za. The toll-free telephone number to call is: 0860 123 ACT (0860 123 228).