Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have become common in many industries, including the security market in South Africa. While many people think of drones as an independent security operation, the legal and ethical use of drones is a force multiplier for the industry and not a stand-alone solution.
Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to Ranesh Ranjith, sales and marketing director at Thorburn Security Solutions, part of the Tsebo Group, to find out how the company has incorporated drones into the security services it provides.
Ranjith explains that Thorburn has seen an increasing requirement for drones in its security operations (as well as other areas of the business) over the past year or two and has developed an integrated approach to security, incorporating drones with its other services. He says an integrated approach is required if a security operation is to effectively combat the increasingly advanced crime operations at work in the country.
Drones are not a simple or a cheap solution to implement as there is far more to the aerial service than merely flying a drone around with a camera attached. The laws in South Africa require qualified personnel on the ground and a special licence is required if the vehicle is to fly out of the pilot’s visual line of sight. Additionally, the drones we see in stores do not have the capabilities for long flights, nor do they have surveillance capabilities that are required in a security operation.
Security services provided
Thorburn therefore has a range of multi-rotor and fixed-wing drones that operate as aerial surveillance agents, supporting ground staff with intelligence, monitoring and visual verification. A drone, for example, can let the tactical response team know that a perimeter intrusion is the result of a single person or a group of armed people, allowing the company to respond appropriately and avoiding situations where personnel are unnecessarily endangered.
Surveillance after dark is also optimised by drones covering large open areas or perimeters using thermal cameras, which are able to detect people even in total darkness. Thermal cameras are also just as useful in the day as the heat signatures they capture make it easier to spot criminals, which can then be more clearly identified with visual cameras if required.
When an intrusion occurs into large, restricted areas, such as a mine or a residential estate, a common problem is that once security personnel arrive at the scene, the intruders have moved on and nobody knows where they went. In these instances, a drone can be used to track the intruders, day or night, passing on their exact location along with other information such as the number of people and if they are armed etc.
Additional services
Other services offered by the aerial wing include regular monitoring patrols, which can include thermal monitoring of power lines, electrical substations and even checking for water leaks. Open pit mines can also use drones to ensure blast areas are clear of people as well as for geological surveys. The potential is enormous.
As noted above, Ranjith adds that the process of setting up an aerial surveillance service is not simple or cheap. If the service is to deliver value to the company and its customers, the equipment must be of the quality required, while additional personnel will also be needed. The communications equipment is another challenge, as the drones will have to remain in contact with the operators over long distances, continually updating video feeds and responding to instructions from pilots if their routes are not pre-programmed.
“Our solution is provided within the framework of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Ranjith notes, “and all pilots and vehicles are registered and have the required pilot’s licence, Air Service Licence (ASL) and Remote Piloted Aircraft Operator Certificates.”
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.
printer friendly version