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Off site and ­independent

Security for big business and residential estates has mostly consisted of guards physically patrolling their perimeters; with additional monitoring of the premises via CCTV viewed at their on-site control rooms. There are however many issues associated with this model, which include collusion between guards and criminals, guards being threatened if they do not comply, along with basic human error – falling asleep while on watch. This position is unfortunately further exacerbated if the same company is guarding and monitoring; where the ability to hide their mistakes is a major temptation to the one-stop-shop service providers.

This has helped pave the way for off-site CCTV monitoring to rapidly become the fastest growing sector of the security industry. Off-site CCTV monitoring is when a firm is brought in to monitor all security cameras and security points, from a remote location. The same issue remains however, if the off-site monitoring company is still also responsible for the guarding, CCTV installation, monitoring and armed response. This one-stop-shop security service provider would be hard pressed to report to their client if they found one of its guards asleep or that their armed response vehicle responded late; cover-ups will obviously pervade.

Mike Voortman

Independent off-site CCTV monitoring companies like Verifier are able to offer focused, specialised services to clients to give them peace of mind. “As a company we are independent, offering only monitoring services to our clients. A key differentiator of our business is that we do not participate in the installation or guarding processes, which allows us to keep completely free of any collusion and cover-up possibilities,” says Verifier director, Mike Voortman. “I advise everyone we speak with to use an independent company to do all of their monitoring.”

Verifier has been able to assist many of its clients with the prevention of incidents, which has saved them substantially. “Because we offer 24-hour event based monitoring we are able to alert clients immediately, and through the cameras we are able to verify what the incident or threat is and alert the necessary responses,” says Voortman.

Another important weapon to have in your security arsenal is an audio function in addition to your cameras. This allows Verifier to remotely communicate with criminals. “Our audio challenges have worked brilliantly for our clients as we are able to verbally challenge the criminals commanding them to leave the premises immediately. It is then that they realise that their every move is being monitored in real time and that the game is up.”

The cost effectiveness of independent, off-site monitoring has also been a major catalyst in ensuring its rapid success in the security industry. While traditional guarding can cost up to R20 000 per month per guard, off-site independent monitoring is significantly cheaper. “With current economic conditions, everyone is looking at how to save costs without compromising on security and safety. With independent off-site monitoring you are able to do exactly this. Anyone needing security should look at this as an option,” says Voortman.

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