Private security under pressure

Issue 3 2021 Editor's Choice

Commenting on the violence and state of lawlessness that started in KwaZulu-Natal and is now spilling over into a number of areas in Gauteng and other provinces, Wahl Bartmann, CEO of Fidelity Services Group, said the situation has become very dangerous. “From the chaos in KwaZulu-Natal, we have seen a lot of rioting on the roads, fires, extensive property damage and looting which has spread to many other areas.”


Wahl Bartmann.

Bartmann says in the interests of protecting their people and safeguarding assets Fidelity has, for the moment, recalled its Cash in Transit vans in these affected areas until the situation stabilises. “We are aware of the pressure being felt by many of our commercial customers, particularly our retail customers, who are at high risk of ‘mass looting’.” He says in the East Rand and Johannesburg South, for example, additional specialised teams were deployed last night to safeguard these premises including air support and specialised land teams to help disperse the looters.

During the weekend Fidelity set up a national Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to monitor the situation literally minute by minute so it can deploy air support and specialised ground patrols as quickly as possible. “The situation is, however, extremely fluid and we are monitoring activity closely with all law enforcement officials. We are trying to support everywhere we can but the situation is very violent and a number of our staff have already been injured.”

For residential security customers, Bartmann says their monitoring centres can easily deflect calls to other areas for additional support so disruption is minimal on that front. “We are nevertheless closely monitoring all residential areas where customers could also be impacted and advising all of our residential customers to avoid high risk areas.”

“We appeal to all citizens to remain vigilant as law enforcement teams from around the country battle to stabilise the situation,” he concludes.

Anyone with information can call the national JOC line on 086 12 12 999.




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

What South Africans need to know about smart devices
Technews Publishing Editor's Choice
We live in a world surrounded by smart devices, from our pockets to our driveways and living rooms.

Read more...
From overwhelm to oversight
Editor's Choice Cyber Security Products
Security automation is vital in today’s world, and Microsoft Sentinel is a widely adopted, but complex answer. ContraForce is an easy-to-use add-on that automatically processes, verifies and warns of threats round-the-clock.

Read more...
SMART Surveillance Conference 2023
Technews Publishing Editor's Choice CCTV, Surveillance & Remote Monitoring Conferences & Events
Some people think the future is all about cloud technologies, but the SMART Surveillance conference demonstrated that AI is making edge surveillance much more attractive, over distributed sites, than ever before.

Read more...
Has your business planned for the worst?
Editor's Choice Cyber Security Security Services & Risk Management
Incident response is a specialised part of security, like a hospital's intensive care unit: IR kicks in when the organisation detects a breach of its systems to stop criminals from doing more damage.

Read more...
Making a difference with human intelligence gathering
Kleyn Change Management Editor's Choice
Eva Nolle believes that woman should stand their ground as they often bring an entirely different skill set to the table, which enhances the overall service delivered.

Read more...
Milestone celebrates women in security
Milestone Systems Technews Publishing Editor's Choice News Conferences & Events
The Milestone Systems’ African team wanted to express their appreciation for the incredible contributions of the women in the security industry and held a breakfast in honour of the hard-working women in the industry on 8 August.

Read more...
Supporting CCTV intelligence with small and big data
Leaderware Editor's Choice CCTV, Surveillance & Remote Monitoring
The increasing development of AI and its role in enhancing investigation-led surveillance, and the increasing capacity of control rooms and local analysts to deliver data in return, can increase the synergy between intelligence and surveillance.

Read more...
Overcoming resistance to changing your current operating model
Editor's Choice Integrated Solutions
Business survival goes beyond cutting costs and driving efficiency, it’s about using data and technology as strategic assets to develop speed, agility and resilience, keep up with customer demands, beat the competition and grow the business.

Read more...
The road to Zero Trust not necessarily paved with gold
Editor's Choice Access Control & Identity Management Cyber Security
Paul Meyer says that while Zero Trust must be the goal, there are a few potholes to navigate on the journey. Here he expands on these caveats, but also exposes the greatest ally of Zero Trust.

Read more...
More agile, flexible access management
ASSA ABLOY South Africa Editor's Choice Access Control & Identity Management
Tim Timmins from ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions examines the growing shift towards cloud access management. How can organisations benefit, and what should they look for when choosing a cloud access control solution?

Read more...