Hi-Tech Security Solutions asked the question: “Is it true that, even with all the wonderful new technology available for the security industry, guarding services will never become obsolete?” As expected, the answer was a resounding ‘yes’ but the qualifiers should be carefully taken into consideration in order to achieve a lasting solution.
There is a dearth of technology available to ensure that private citizens and businesses are provided with a high level of protection from criminal threat in terms of timeously detecting and informing control rooms of a potential situation. However, one needs to take cognisance of the importance of being able to dispatch correctly trained security officers to control the threat.
“We find that clients are often not aware of the correct technology to use in their specific application. In addition, they are also often not aware of the different benefits of onsite versus true offsite control room monitoring. It should be contingent upon the service provider to explain and discuss the various choices available to the client in order to provide a synergistic technology/personnel option,” said Cobus Bodenstein, national business manager for the Commercial Guarding Division at ADT.
“This essentially begins with a complete risk assessment of the site, which includes a site visit in order to gain an understanding of the history of the site and its inherent risks,” said Dave Mitchell, sales and marketing director at Bidvest Magnum. “Clients need to become more fastidious in their selection of service provider by checking the company’s credentials. Clients should request relevant references to establish a potential service provider’s experience in the specific solution suggested.
“A credible provider will offer a complete evaluation of your site together with feasible solutions, combined with a full set of credentials and references. Do not accept anything less. In return, clients need to be realistic and honest about their expectations.”
“Clients often have their own ideas about how many security officers are needed on site and this is generally a product of the budget available. The temptation is to cut corners but they need to be advised on the futility and foolishness of selecting either inferior technology and/or security officers who have not been carefully screened and accredited,” said Dirk Jones, MD of Servest Security.
“We often find that clients view the security officers as their own personal detectives. However, an officer should be responding to rather than detecting threats. The latter role should be fulfilled by the technology,” said Bodenstein.
“With the ongoing improvement of cellular technology and wireless networks and with IT departments understanding the value of allowing security applications onto the networks, the monitoring of the security function is becoming efficient and powerful,” said Lance Quiding, technical convergence director of Callguard Security Services.
“The beauty of having a mix of technology and security officers is that in a potentially threatening scenario, the cameras will send an alarm to the control room which will then be interpreted by the operator to determine a suitable course of action. Once the security officer has been dispatched to the site of the incident, the CCTV cameras can be adjusted to provide ongoing monitoring of the location to ensure that officers receive critical feedback on the threat,” said Bodenstein.
One or the other?
There are certain locations where the guarding element is deemed as crucial. “This would include entrances and reception areas where human interface is normally a given,” said Jones.
“Something to bear in mind is that technology is absolute, in other words it will do what it is designed to do with no exceptions. However, your human element has the inherent ability to assess situations and use their initiative to choose options in a threatening situation,” said Dave Crichton, MD at Bidvest Magnum Group. “Having said that, it is crucial to ensure that there are clearly specified policies and procedures regarding one’s expectations of the security officer.”
“It is important at the outset to have thorough screening systems in place to ensure that the security officer you are sending to protect a client’s valuable assets is the right person for the job,” said Matthew Dyball, MD at Lodge Security. “It is not enough to ensure that your security officers are PSIRA registered, you have to check their fingerprints on the AFIS database to see if they are listed as being a known criminal; check their basic numeracy and literacy skills through ABET; research their previous job history and conduct a pre-employment polygraph test which is followed with further testing every six months.”
Dyball emphasises that the importance of both general security officer training as well as client/application-specific training cannot be overstated. “One should ensure that the security officers sent to a client’s site are familiarised with the onsite technology and that they are motivated to take the initiative in the event of a threat.”
“Real-time officer monitoring, in conjunction with visual verification through offsite monitoring, is becoming a norm rather than an exception. This combined with traditional radio communication and VOIP technology is providing a superior auditable service. This is the type of solution companies should be looking for,” said Quiding.
“It is often a challenge finding security managers/operation managers that have the technical understanding of how technology can be merged with manpower. A number of these managers are beginning to realise the potential in this convergence. They are looking for the service providers that have the balance of knowledge and experience required to propose and implement a converged security service,” Quiding added.
Quiding believes that an emphasis should be placed on solutions where manpower can be reduced and complemented by technology. “The service provider needs to be accountable for raising the level of service from his employees (security officers) and provide the client with a potential cost saving. There is no replacement for an ideal human guard, but humans suffer fatigue, temptation, distraction and boredom. Combining these human elements with the correctly selected technology will result in the effect of these traits being minimised.”
Ignorance is not bliss
In instances where clients are disgruntled with the security portfolio provided, the problem often resides in their ignorance of what is appropriate to their specific application and needs.
Questions to ask
Questions that clients need to ask potential service providers include:
1. Are your security officers compliant with current legislation – specifically in terms of PSIRA and membership of provident funds?
2. Do your security officers understand the protocols required?
3. What is your company history? In other words, does the provider have a good track record and are they likely to still be around in years to come?
4. Do you have any strategic alliances with technology providers?
5. Is the technology you are using on my site of a high quality and what will it ultimately provide us with? Is a maintenance contract available?
6. Will you be using onsite or offsite monitoring and what are the logistics and costs involved in both instances?
7. What software platforms are used in your control room?
8. Can the system dial back into the control room in the event of a threat/loss of power/loss of picture/tampering?
9. Can the operator perform functions like controlling the security lighting or opening a gate remotely?
10. Does the system have two-way audio?
11. Can one control presetting of telemetry?
12. Can one dial in, view and delegate activities?
“It is advisable for clients to run reference checks on service providers and to visit both the service provider’s facilities as well as other installations performed by the service provider,” said Crichton.
Questions the service provider should be asking the client include:
1. What is the potential risk you are facing?
2. What are the historical areas of concern on your site, for example, where are the items of high value situated; what times of day are considered high risk (opening and closing time)?
3. What are your expectations of an integrated security system?
Managing security
It is all very well having a high-end security system in place, but if you do not have procedures to manage it, you might not be maximising your investment.
The service provider should play an active role in ensuring that the CCTV cameras are in excellent working order and that they are recording the required subject matter. “A register, with recorded times, should be kept of all checks performed on the cameras,” said Jones. “In addition, the correct systems need to be implemented to ensure that the guarding element is being correctly monitored. This includes ongoing training and assessments to ensure compliance to industry standards and regulations as well as the competence to perform his duties on the client’s site.”
“Ideally,” said Crichton, “a business needs to run with minimum interference, so the service provider should plan around streamlining processes and ensuring that their employees are suitably trained to make snap decisions with regard to potential threats.”
Delivering on promises
“Clients do not just want lip service, they want a professional approach to rapidly detecting and addressing a threat before it can become a real issue. This is the role of integrated technology and guarding and should provide a large degree of flexibility for ever-changing criminal environments,” said Bodenstein.
“Peace of mind is most important to clients. They want assurance that the service they are outsourcing will remove any security and risk concerns they may have. It is important that the service provider outline the exact parameters of the service provided. An example is that often clients believe that the security company is responsible for insuring against theft. By discussing up front what the legal responsibilities of each party is, one avoids any confusion or unpleasantness should a situation occur,” said Jones.
“Clients are demanding increased accountability from service providers as well as intelligence gathering through immediate access to generated data via technology,” said Quiding.
“The client also needs reassurance that there is transparency with regard to his outsourced security provision, in other words, has the service provider truly got his business’s best interests at heart? Above all, he needs to have the confidence that the system will not fail him or his employees in a threatening situation,” said Mitchell.
Quiding says that it is often a challenge to change the mindset of the security manager within a company. “This, along with the low level of technical expertise in our country, results in a cautious decision making process. Currently a lot of time and money is spent on the proof of concept (PoC) before the security managers buy into the technology. Once the penny drops and the security manager has gained sufficient experience to justify the change at board level, there is no looking back.”
Trying to stay ahead of the criminal masterminds is an ongoing challenge, but by making the site harder to access, one can minimise the risks. “Using an experienced and reputable service provider is the first line of defence and being open to the adoption of technologies like product tagging and facial recognition adds a further aggravation to the lives of the perpetrators,” said Dyball.
Businesses are more streetwise with regard to what technology is available to reduce their risk. Newer technologies such as facial recognition are beginning to find a place alongside biometric fingerprint readers, interactive alarm systems and CCTV surveillance systems. However, in general, people like to interface with people and since technology is only as infallible as its design, the guarding portion of the integrated security solution will remain vital for at least the foreseeable future.
While it might be more difficult in established sites to ensure a congruent mixture of human and technology in the equation, architectural and building companies should take cognisance of the immediate and long-term security requirements in the design and planning phases.
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