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Retail panic protection

Amidst the violence which descended upon Tshwane recently, a group of Mabopane residents attempted to attack and rob a popular retail outlet.

Around midday, the residents – armed with rocks and batons – approached a retail outlet and attempted to gain entry. In an effort to protect the store, its contents, and staff, the store’s security guards fought off the mob and managed to close and lock the automatic glass doors.

However, the residents pressed on and attempted to break through the glass by use of force.

Unbeknown to the assailants, the security guards were armed with Active Track devices – handheld, GPS and GSM-enabled units, with panic activations. By simply dropping an Active Track device, or pressing the panic button, an alarm is triggered in the Active Track 24-hour call centre. The call centre thereafter makes a silent call to the Active Track device to listen in on the situation, and alerts the security company accordingly.

In response to the imminent danger, one of the guards dropped his Active Track device in order to alert Active Track and in turn, its security company, of the distress situation. Within minutes, the security company’s reaction unit had deployed vehicles and additional guards to disperse the attackers and safeguard the store.

Through the use of reasonable force and measures, the attackers fled the scene, and the retail outlet was able to resume business.

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