ALARMS

Alarm technology: key to safety in today’s covid-19 and violent crime-ravaged environment

R50 billion and 150,000 jobs lost. That is one of many estimated costs of the violence and looting that occurred in South Africa in July this year 1

And it’s not an isolated cost. As a result of that deadly week, people are reassessing and upgrading their security systems, many of which proved inadequate in the face of that mass criminality, say security service providers. Entire malls, stand-alone shops, banks and ATMs, highways and trucks were vandalised, 215 – this figure could be higher – people died and countless others were injured, emphasising the country’s woefully under-resourced police force and army — and the vital role that cutting-edge alarm technology has to play with regard to keeping people and property safe.

Brett Fisher

“It certainly was a challenging month, and particularly for Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal,” says Brett Fisher, executive director of TRSS, which supplies and installs a large range of well-known, tried and tested alarm systems, beams and CCTVs.

Mr Fisher, who believes that early warning and intelligence may have helped limit the damage, says the violence highlighted how effective private security companies in South Africa may be and how they may assist the SAPS (South African Police Service) and the SANDF (South African National Defense Force). “As a result, we’re investing even more into our special operations teams, with hi-tech equipment, including the latest firepower, thermal imaging, and drones. It’s more important than ever, now that security companies have decent size fleets of armed reaction vehicles, backed up by heavily armed special operations teams. This is the unfortunate reality in South Africa. Gone are the days of contracting to a small start-up business with a handful of vehicles, no SAIDSA (South African Intruder Detection Association)-approved control room and non-compliant staff. It’s all about companies that have the muscle power and the technology required to protect their clients during emergencies.”

The new challenges: Covid-19, violent looting and jamming

Even before the deadly violence, though, demand for alarm systems was growing as a result of the work-from-home trend created by the Covid-19 pandemic, says Alpha Security director Pierre Conradie. “Staff working from home required alarms and panic buttons, and company owners, identifying the increased risk to their closed or partially closed premises, required better security, too. Demand is at an all-time high for complete home automation systems rather than the traditional alarm system, with the incorporation of cameras a high priority.”

“As may be seen over the last few weeks, the threat against property and people is huge: not only the looting, but the general lawlessness in South Africa, which has sadly become the rule rather than the exception. Due to the incapability of the statutory forces, more emphasis is being placed on the early detection of potentially volatile and violent situations,” Mr Conradie says.

Troy Hector

The alarm system of yesterday is obsolete, agrees Troy Hector, CEO of Vix Net, not least of all because of jamming. “Jamming isn’t limited to vehicles as many people think,” he says. “It’s a particular crime form that focuses on moving and non-moving targets, it’s performed by individuals and syndicates, and it’s used in home and business burglaries, to steal cars, attack cargo containers etc. Yet, despite the increase in crime, the dire economic climate is forcing people to cut down on expenses such as security, companies (including some in the security sector) are experiencing financial duress and being liquidated or acquired, and you may see how the risk threat is growing.”

Gauteng-based TRSS, which is planning to expand nationally, has built its reputation on a foundation of cutting-edge alarm technology, well trained personnel and an in-your-face 24/7 presence, all critical in a country which is struggling with record levels of unemployment, crime and the Covid-19 pandemic, says Mr Fisher. “As unemployment rises, people become more and more desperate and are prepared to do whatever it takes to make ends meet. Company owners are aware of this, and those who are able to afford it are investing in additional security measures to safeguard their premises, staff, clients and assets. As a result, our software product offerings include tripwires, no-go zones, and many other analytics, all of which send an alarm to an offsite control room that is ready to despatch armed reaction vehicles at a moment’s notice.”

Danny Pringle is the director of Secutel, which is headquartered in Gauteng, with a national footprint in seven of the country’s nine provinces. The company supplies leading intruder detection systems (IDS), with visual verification capabilities, to clients ranging from security service providers and banks to wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the trend has been for employees to work from home, resulting in many areas and buildings being vacant for extended periods,” he says. “Then the violence in July occurred. The riots and looting weren’t easy to manage, owing to the vast numbers of people taking part in them, and the extent they went to, to damage and destroy property and infrastructure. It was virtually impossible to prevent the loss of assets. Security staff had the unenviable task of trying to protect their clients’ properties and assets, putting their own safety at risk.”

He continues: “Most of our clients rent intruder detection and surveillance equipment from us and, as such, where premises were burnt or vandalised, our equipment was destroyed in the process, at hundreds of sites in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. In the case of banks, where looters attacked ATM cubicles, not even our front-of-ATM surveillance equipment was spared. Some of these sites will not be revived or made operational by our clients, while others will need to be reconstructed before they may become functional again. The full extent of our losses due to these riots and looting will only be known once our clients have assessed their plan-of-action for each of the affected sites.”

The challenges from within the industry

Says Brett Fisher: “Among the main challenges within the alarm industry today are security companies that have not evolved with technology, a lack of investment in staff and equipment, the use of cheap systems to attract clients on price, and companies that aren’t SAIDSA qualified, which effectively puts their clients at great risk when they need help the most. In a worst-case scenario, this may mean loss of life. The barrier to entry in the security world is, unfortunately, still too easy. New companies pop up constantly; some employ illegal staff and/ or pay them below the regulated salaries, which in turn causes a demotivated workforce and leads to obvious security risks.”

Solutions

Alarm technology is now on another level, says Mr Fisher. “It allows companies to be proactive rather than reactive.” There are many excellent options in the marketplace today, he points out, all of which combine modern technology with manpower, and provide wide-ranging solutions for residences and workplaces. “The emphasis is on well-managed guarding services together with CCTV monitored offsite with analytics or virtual guarding solutions, and accurate reporting.”

One of the most important factors in an alarm system, believes Danny Pringle, is for control room operators to have access to visuals immediately, during an event or intrusion. Further, operators should only deal with exceptions to avoid the noise created by false alarms. “It’s also imperative for guards to be equipped with bodycams fitted with GPS tracking so that they may communicate with the command centre using voice and imaging in real time” he says, adding: “In that way, a better judgement of the realities of the situation should lead to improved decision-making and actions.”

Well-designed alarm technology may secure not only the owner’s property — it may safeguard an entire neighbourhood, says Pierre Conradie. There’s no single one-size-fits-all system, though. Each area or situation needs to be evaluated and the system adapted to eradicate as many security-related challenges as possible, using some, if not all, of the following:

• IOT (Internet of Things) technology for home automation, including IOT panic buttons

• High quality alarm systems with the emphasis on the exterior of properties

• High quality smart camera systems

• Vehicle tracking linked to the house alarm system

• Personal panic buttons

• Defensive training

Today’s best alarm systems comprise not only a digital control panel but also smartphone security apps, access to web portals, alarm transponders, reliable communications networks and control rooms, adds Troy Hector. Addon options for bigger budgets include

contact/non-contact ID, GPS location, alternate communications medium, remote management capabilities, smart phone app compatibility and Ethernet or other interfaces. “I like the adoption of drone technologies by TRSS as well as 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Big Data (BD), all of which may assist in a proactive as opposed to a reactive response. Seamless scaling, high reliability and no congestion or delays go hand-in-hand with the world’s best-in-class alarm systems.”

Last word

Robert Solomon Gallagher

Robert Solomon, Technical Business Development Manager for Gallagher Africa, concludes: “Last year, when Covid-19 began spreading across the globe, and governments worldwide enforced mass lockdowns to combat the virus, it became more important than ever to protect commercial spaces which would be closed for an indefinite period. With more empty premises – due to the pandemic – came a greater need for the ability to remotely access and review what was happening onsite, and a greater demand for alarm systems.

While alarm systems may provide early warning of unauthorised access to a site, they should be integrated with other measures to deter, detect, and delay. The basis of protection for any site should be designed to deter an intrusion attempt, detect them immediately if they do happen, and delay an intruder’s progress, to provide time to respond before significant damage occurs. Thus, for an alarm system to be truly successful, it must be monitored and form part of a layered security solution.”

1. Bloomberg.com https://www.bloomberg. com/news/articles/2021-07-20/southafrican-economy-set-to-take-3-4-billion-hitfrom-riots

Contributors

TRSS Website: www.trss.co.za Phone: 086 111 4021 Email: marketing@TRSS.co.za

Vix Net Website: https://www.vixnet.co.za Phone: +27 81 436 2119 Email: ceo@vixnet.co.za

Gallagher Africa Website: https://security.gallagher.com Phone: +27 11 974 4740 +27 11 971 4200 Email: sales.za@security.gallagher.com

Alpha Security Websites: www.alpha-security.co.za www.amadlozi.co.za Phone: +27 035 5620200 Email: ceo@alpha-group.co.za

Secutel Website: https://secutel.co.za Phone: +27 011 675 3561 Email: sales@secutel.co.za