Security Focus Africa February 2021 Vol 39 No 2 by Contact Publications

www.securityfocusafrica.com | Vol 39 No 2 February 2021 The official industry journal for professional risk practitioners: security, safety, health, environment and quality assurance

An overview of South Africa’s latest National Police Crime Statistics

In conversation with Gallagher’s Ian Meadows

Drones in the security sector: trends, technology & legislation

o t n i o e d i v g n i n Tur

ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE Living in interesting times, embracing fast-moving technology trends and focusing on the positive

SINE

N FO R

securityfocusafrica.com Security Focus Africa has been marketing suppliers to buyers in Africa since 1980, and is the official industry journal of the Security Association of South Africa. Our readers form the core of Southern Africa’s buyers and decision-makers in the security products and services industry. Our print and digital platforms have a highly-focused readership of people at the very heart of the security industry. Our news is distributed via print, website, digital magazine, and social media. Our annual Security Focus Africa Buyers Guide is searchable in print and via our online directory, with over 760 businesses and branches throughout Africa. Need to find a service or supplier? We will help you find exactly what you need.

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Security Focus Africa: Serving the South African security industry for 39 years

CONTENTS

VOL 39 NO 2 FEBRUARY 2021

Security Focus quarter page October 2020.pdf 1 2020/10/08 14:24:39

COVER STORY: DRONES IN THE SECURITY SECTOR: TRENDS, TECHNOLOGY AND LEGISLATION 16 Expected to be worth about $43 billion by 2024, according

to Statista, although predications vary – the sky is literally the limit for the global commercial drones market.

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Nemtek is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of innovative electric fencing products used by many governments, local authorities and industries to protect their utilities, correctional facilities and defence infrastructures. Mining sites, solar farms, oil refineries and steel industries often need to be protected from intruders, both from a safety and a security point of view. We deliver peace of mind with our range of fencing solutions, modular designed energizers to enable multiple fence zones, and our monitoring technology which allows for advanced warning of any fence breach or tampering. Contact our Head Office for more information on 011 462 8283 or websales@nemtek.co.za 2 SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021 www.nemtek.com

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Official Journal of the Security Association of South Africa

Published by Contact Publications (Pty) Ltd (Reg No. 1981/011920/07)

Vol 39 No 2

TEL: (031) 764 6977 FAX: 086 762 1867 MANAGING DIRECTOR:

REGULARS EDITOR’S COMMENT 4 Living in interesting times,

embracing fast-moving technology trends and focusing on the positive.

SUCCESS STORY 6 Vaultgroup: tackling crime with

home-grown tech.

NEWS 8 Customers embrace ‘intelligent

friction’ in the fight against online fraud. 13 Delta Scientific barrier stops intruder at U.S./Mexican border. 30 Elvey appointed as Ajax distributor. 31 Video users must guard against tampering claims, warns IDIS. 32 Gartner says customer service and support leaders plan to focus budget on digital channels and capabilities in 2021.

NEWS IN BRIEF 10 News snippets from around the world.

WELLBEING 14 Why some security personnel

cope better than others in a high stress work environment.

RISK PREVENTION 21 Year in review: understanding

fraud trends during Covid-19.

CRIME OVERVIEW 22 An overview of South Africa’s

latest National Police Crime Statistics.

TRENDS 24 ProLabs and the ‘new 5G

backhaul economy’.

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE 26 Why the switch to smart

video requires more dynamic data storage. 34 Cable, components and critical space exploration.

PERSONALITY PROFILE 28 In conversation with…

Ian Meadows, Gallagher security sales manager.

ON THE MARKET 35 GSS power supplies. ISS TODAY 36 South Africa’s deadly mix

of explosives, extortion and organised crime.

Malcolm King malcolm@contactpub.co.za

EDITOR: Ingrid Olivier ingrid@securityfocusafrica.com

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Vincent Goode vincent@contactpub.co.za

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Jackie Goosen jackie@contactpub.co.za

POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 414, Kloof 3640, South Africa

PUBLICATION DETAILS: Security Focus Africa has 12 issues a year and is published monthly, with the annual Buyers’ Guide in December. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, we will only be publishing digitally, until further notice.

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Editorial contributions are welcome. For details please email editorial@securityfocusafrica.co.za.

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Malcolm King Email: malcolm@contactpub.co.za

Security Focus Africa is a member of

VACCINE ROLLOUT 38 Vaccination reviewed. 39 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 40 DIRECTORY securityfocusafrica.com

www.securityfocusafrica.com 3

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Living in interesting times, embracing fast-moving technology trends and focusing on the positive

President Cyril Ramaphosa.

No one can deny that we’re living in interesting times. The original expression that I learned at my dad’s knee is: “May you live in interesting times.”

looked it up on Wikipedia and, as I remembered him telling me, it is actually a pleasantly veiled curse thought to have originated in China (“While seemingly a blessing, the expression is normally used ironically; life is better in “uninteresting times” of peace1 and tranquillity2 than in “interesting” ones, which are usually times of trouble.”) Whatever its original origin, it’s an apt description of life on earth at the moment, where the unexpected and the challenging are coming at us from all angles. Interesting doesn’t have to mean bad, in my opinion, though. Within the chaos, technology is being fast-tracked in part by the Covid-19 pandemic. With so

many people working from home, businesses are looking for and adopting cutting-edge technology and tools that allow for more effective communication with staff and clients, that better protect their premises, assets, people and data against physical and cyber criminals as well as the virus, that improve operational efficiency, and that save them money. Genetec, a leading global security company, gives one of the most concise synopses of trends that I’ve read3. These include innovation around social distancing and occupancy management, choosing trusted vendors and deploying physical security solutions that come with layers of cyber defenses4, and focusing on public privacy concerns

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

related to Covid-19 contact tracing and other social challenges, which for “many physical security professionals, means facing the reality that their legacy security equipment and older proprietary systems can’t support the fundamentals of data security and privacy. This will increase the demand for newer solutions engineered with privacy by design.” Security entities will also need to follow the lead of other industries and their IT departments and determine how to best leverage cloud technology in the years ahead if they’re to thrive in the long run, and they’ll need to customise product and service portfolios for clients as opposed to the traditional ‘one size fits all’ offerings, Genetec adds.

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EDITOR’S COMMENT

“…much is going to depend on people being responsible by continuing to wear masks and maintaining social distancing.”

Renewed focus on small businesses I was heartened by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s virtual February 2021 meeting with some of South Africa’s most prominent business leaders, in which he stated that, with the era of big corporates creating thousands of jobs now over, SMMEs (small, medium and micro enterprises) had an increasingly important role to play in driving the economy. Referring back to his Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, which he presented in October last year, he said that the creation of an inclusive economy that would benefit all depended on the “more effective support of vibrant and sustainable SMMEs” which, in other developed and developing countries, generally accounted for more than 90 per cent of all formal businesses and contributed significantly to their GDPs (gross domestic product). With this as a goal for South Africa, along with his commitment to the creation of 11 million new jobs by 2030, the Department of Small Business Development had developed a Business Viability Scheme to help SMMEs recover economically. By 2024, the Department has to have supported 15 000 startups, he continued, and with the country’s employment rate now standing at more than 36 per cent, these initiatives are desperately needed. Something that really resonated with me was his entreaty for people to buy locally produced goods and the way he put it: “We are not asking corporates to buy goods for the sake of buying locally. We

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are saying that they should buy local quality goods that can compete with the ones that they are importing and that create much needed jobs in the country.” The easing of Covid-19 restrictions to alert level 1 is another effort to stimulate South Africa’s struggling economy. Following a significant decrease in the numbers of new infections and deaths in recent weeks, the announcement was met with an almost audible roar of approval from the country’s most-affected businesses. But with the virus mutating, the inevitable gatherings of friends and family around Easter and winter approaching, we’re not out of the woods yet. Yes, we are vaccinating at last, but much is going to depend on people being responsible by continuing to wear masks and maintaining social distancing. (I shake my head at the so-called adults who drop their masks in the shops to drink coffee, lick ice-cream cones or talk on their cell phones…) As President Ramaphosa says: “Adhering to strict measures is more than important than ever, now.” It’s easy to get bogged down with bad news: the latest national police crime stats and mind-boggling levels of corruption at every level make for heavy reading, but we do need to focus on the good, too, for our mental health. I take my hat off to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for his unflagging chairing of the commission of inquiry into state corruption, for getting an extension until June this year, and for filing an application with the highest court in the land to have recalcitrant expresident Jacob Zuma jailed for contempt

after his refusal to appear before the commission. Interesting to see what the ConCourt rules on 25 March… And then, in May, the Zuma/Thales corruption trial begins with more than 200 witnesses allegedly prepared to testify. Some of the other events I’ll be watching with close attention in the next few weeks, in the hope of seeing justice done, include what penalties will be meted out to the EFF members who have just been found guilty of contempt,` following their disruption of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s 2019 budget speech, unions’ approach to the ConCourt to try and force a seven per cent increase in public wages, the imminent signing of the Cybercrimes Bill by President Ramaphosa, the release of the parliamentary report on Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office, the 3,5% to 5% economic growth predicted by some economists – and the capture of the last of the crocodiles which escaped en masse from a breeding farm in the Western Cape a few days ago. Stay safe and stay positive!

Ingrid Olivier, Editor ingridolivier@idotwrite.co.za 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranquility 3. https://resources.genetec.com/blog/2021-physicalsecurity-industry-trends# 4. https://resources.genetec.com/cybersecurity

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

SUCCESS STORY

Vaultgroup co-founder and COO Lance Baum, CEO Michael Gewer.

Vaultgroup: tackling crime with home-grown tech Back in 2014, running a cellphone store was a dangerous business to be in. Robberies were a daily occurrence, with heavily armed robbers striking almost with impunity. Barge in. Hold the staff at gunpoint. Open the safe. Grab the goods, and bingo! For serial entrepreneur Michael Gewer, who was managing a division at a large cellular dealer at the time, there had to be a better way.

hen, driving home one day, Gewer had his ‘Eureka moment’. What if he were to build a secure locker with separate compartments, each with its own time delay? No robber would wait around to get one phone every five minutes. “If you think about a robbery, the thieves have everything on their side: inside information, the fear factor, the element of surprise. The one thing they don’t have is time. So we set out to create a product that builds time into the process,” says Gewer. It was a revolutionary idea. There was just one problem: the product didn’t exist

anywhere in the world, and would have to be conceptualised and created from scratch. Gewer needed an engineer to help design and build the kit – and his lifelong friend, technology entrepreneur Lance Baum, was just the person for the job. SA solutions, for SA problems And so, one of South Africa’s emerging security technology success stories, VaultGroup, was born. Gewer and Baum patented the idea, and started working on various designs and technologies. After several months, they had built their first working product, aptly named

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

CellVault™. It was a huge step for the young company: a home-grown solution, for a uniquely South African business problem. Even so, getting mobile phone retailers to buy into a brand-new, untested concept proved challenging at first. Just to get their foot in the door, Gewer and Baum persuaded ten stores to try CellVault™ as a proof of concept. Their breakthrough came when one of the pilot retail stores was hit by robbers. The store lost around R1-million in high-end cellphones from its standard safe; zero from its Cellvault™. The credentials were established.

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SUCCESS STORY

Today, the CellVault™ product can be found in more than 1 500 high-end stores. In barely six years, VaultGroup has grown from a start-up to a 40+ person business that has prevented or minimised loss in its clients stores more than 600 times. But, while CellVault was the product that launched the VaultGroup’s entrepreneurial journey, the company has barely scratched the surface of the growing demand for secure storage solutions in the country from retailers, banks, commercial and residential property owners, and courier and logistics companies. Using technology to meet business needs In fact, Gewer believes the company’s new PackVault product is ideally placed to capitalise on the ‘next big thing’ in retail, Click & Collect. Consumers order and pay for their goods online, then collect them from a secure locker using a one-time pin or a QR code. “Retailers are in a tough place right now. The cost of acquisitions and getting product into clients’ hands is too high. Covid-19 is keeping people out of the malls. Most of all, consumers want a different experience. Click & Collect gives consumers the convenience they want, while still offering mall owners and retailers the opportunity to get people into the malls, and do a potential upsell,” says Gewer. For Baum, it’s all about the power of using technology to drive real innovation and real-world solutions for the problems facing businesses and consumers alike – and the sky’s the limit, with numerous potential applications for secure storage across a range of industry verticals. “How do retailers get goods to their customers in a time of social distancing, when they have no robust e-commerce platform, and last mile delivery costs can be 50% of the total logistic costs? “How do banks get new debit and credit cards to their customers without forcing them to come into a branch? How do couriers ensure valuable deliveries end up in the right hands, without the headache of wrong addresses and multiple delivery attempts? How do jewellers operate in a world where armed gangs break display cases and flee with their high-value items? These are the pain points facing businesses today – and we can help them solve their problems, using fully home-grown technology,” says Baum.

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An entrepreneurial journey While VaultGroup is rapidly emerging as the latest South African success story, it certainly isn’t Gewer or Baum’s first rodeo. Gewer’s lifelong dream was to start and own his own business. From the start, his career reflected that, from creating online trading platforms where none had existed to running divisions of larger companies as his own business. Baum started his career managing one of the first mobile retail stores in South Africa, and helped build the country’s first VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) network before founding and heading a digital signage company. The allure of taking an entirely new product to market took him to VaultGroup. As both of them will tell you, starting a business in South Africa isn’t the easiest task. Raising capital to begin and sustain the business is a perennial challenge, and the regulatory environment is tough. Many entrepreneurs battle to make the shift from running start-ups to managing people as their businesses grow. And, of course, cash flow is probably the number one issue facing small businesses. “Everything takes longer than you think,” says Gewer. “Our first couple of years were extremely tough, but we believed in our product and knew it would do well. We were lucky to have great support from our families and investors, but you have to be prepared to knuckle down and stay the course.” What makes VaultGroup unique, says Baum, is the fact that it understands the South African environment and specific challenges better than anyone else, and meets those challenges with homegrown solutions. “You can buy lockers from anywhere in the world. But ours are adapted to local needs and users. We have our own proprietary technology, with a growing tech and dev team. Most of all, though, we build our products exactly to the clients’ specification: they tell us what they need, and we build it. We also understand that servicing our clients is of the upmost importance and we are very proud of our state-of-the-art support team,” he says. “What our clients buy from us is a range of high-tech storage solutions that are customised to their exact needs. What they get is peace of mind. And that makes all the difference,” concludes Gewer.

Michael and Lance’s top 10 tips for entrepreneurs 1.

Let things go. Don’t hold grudges or dwell on your past mistakes. Learn, forgive and move on.

Relationships over profits. If you build the right relationships with your clients and people, the profits will come.

2 times longer, 3 times the cost. Everything takes longer and costs more than you planned.

Manage your cash flow. In this world, cash is king. You have to manage your cash correctly. Start slowly, and get the fundamentals right.

Rather be kind than right. Don’t point out people’s weaknesses. See their perspective.

Your people are your greatest asset. When Lance and I started out, we did everything ourselves. Now it’s crucial to have the right people in the right positions.

Flip negatives into positives. We all make mistakes in business and life. But it’s how you react to difficult times that is important. Learn and grow from them.

Don’t fall in love with your idea. If ‘the next big thing’ doesn’t work, be prepared to tweak it or let it go.

Fail fast. Rather get to market quickly, with a product that isn’t 100% perfect, and adjust it along the way, than wait.

10.

Success is your greatest threat. Signing that great deal, or launching that amazing product, is very satisfying. But stay humble and keep looking to improve and grow.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

NEWS

Customers embrace ‘intelligent friction’ in the fight against online fraud As the number of consumers transacting online rapidly grows in lockdown economies, bad actors have followed the money, with a spike in online fraud. Speaking at a global payments roundtable on digital fraud, Entersekt CEO, Schalk Nolte, looks at how involving the customer through ‘intelligent friction’ can stymie the efforts of fraudsters.

aiting for machines to learn Over recent months, users flocking online due to the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in fraudsters launching huge volleys of cybercrime attempts. Nolte describes these volumebased attacks as ‘spray and pray’ efforts and says that even the new tech heroes, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), are battling to keep up. In fact, the World Economic Forum estimates financial crimes could cost global citizens up to $1 trillion dollars each year. “Things are more focused now. It

becomes a numbers game. If you have double the amount of users transacting online, even if you get just a two percent return on your emails, that’s a good rate for any fraudster. What we are seeing now just boils down to new use cases based on the same methodology,” he says. The obvious response to the increase in fraud attempts and especially some for the more sophisticated attempts, is to throw more technology at the problem. Nolte, however, says banks and other organisations are missing a trick if they think they may just rely on new tech like ML and AI.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

“The problem with so many new users is that you have nothing to compare their behaviour against. No matter how good your ML or AI is, it’s all about relying on user behaviour to predict actions. This ratchets up the number of false positives. If consumers use their credit card online for the first time, for example, and it gets declined because of a false positive result from the fraud engine, they will be far less likely to try shop online again with that card (or at all). Machines need to experience fraud before they are able to learn from that fraud - its a reactive process,” explains Nolte.

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NEWS

Customers know best For this reason, Nolte says getting the customer involved in the process puts boots on the ground to fight fraud and they are the most invested boots of all. “Imagine if we could reach out to a customer and just ask them, is this really what you want to do? That’s the magic. Nobody knows whether a transaction is real as well as the customer does. This intelligent friction is something to be welcomed. It’s all about finding the balance. You don’t want to bother the customer too much, but customers want to be in control, even when it comes to paying their existing beneficiaries. Authenticating the transaction instills confidence, and deputising the customer by giving them control builds trust,” he says. According to Nolte, different types of fraud raises its head in different parts of the world depending on local conditions and standards embraced in that location. “You see fraud move around the world. As it’s solved in one place, it moves on to another market. Choosing the best standards is what keeps customers safe - and they needn’t even know it’s happening in the background. Sometimes you experience a kick-back from your user base if their experience changes, and so updating in the background is sometimes best,” Nolte advises.

Changing roles of financial institutions Looking to the future, Nolte says that banks could leverage their position of trust as well as their unique access to user data to become the custodians of our consumers’ digital identities. “Banks play a significant role in consumers’ lives. The trusted relationship between consumers and their financial institution means that banks are exceptionally well positioned to play a much larger role going forward. Instead of using my Google and Facebook to log in somewhere in the future, perhaps I could use my bank account, because that’s where the anchor of my identity is,” he suggests. Nolte, like many in his industry, believe

there is room for industry standards when it comes to fraud detection and prevention. There is no reason why the best authentication should be a competitive advantage when it could be an industry standard. However, he says while this becomes a reality, organisations should waste no time in taking action. “The tools are there, there is no reason to wait for the industry to define what should be done. You can’t be paralysed by worrying about how your customers will perceive the changes. Ultimately, if they are part of the solution and they know that they will be safer, they will be on board. The winning formula is to find someone to partner with who has done it before and done it at scale. Someone who knows the tech and knows what to expect. And even though fraudsters are constantly evolving and refining their techniques, we know that we may still make a massive dent in the damage they are doing. It’s all about having the right partner” Nolte concludes. About Entersekt Entersekt is a leading provider of strong device identity and customer authentication software. Financial institutions and other large enterprises in countries across the globe rely on its multi-patented technology to communicate with their clients securely, protect them from fraud, and serve them convenient new experiences irrespective of the channel or device in use. They have repeatedly credited the Entersekt Secure Platform with helping to drive adoption, deepen engagement, and open opportunities for growth, all while meeting their compliance obligations with confidence.

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

ASSOCIATION NEWS

News snippets from around the world week, the foundation says that it doubts that the state has ever been ready for trial. However, the NPA says the matter was last postponed to Tuesday, pending the challenge to the racketeering charges by Thales. It says that when Thales lost its challenge and decided not to appeal it, it paved the way for the trial to proceed. NPA Spokesperson Sipho Ngwema says the state is ready to start the proceedings and has indicated its earliest preferred date for trial and Thales has done the same. (Source: www.sabcnews.com)

Gauteng to review its booze regulations to curb ‘drinking sprees’ and crime Gauteng premier David Makhura says the province is looking at tightening the sale of alcohol regulations beyond the current Covid-19 regulations. Makhura, who was speaking during the official handover of 55 high-performance vehicles to police last weekend, said alcohol was one of the contributing factors to crime in the province. (Source: www.timeslive.co.za)

To stop climate disaster, make ecocide an international crime

Police failed to stem sharp rise in serious crime in last Q 2020 The quarterly crime statistics for October to December 2020, show a rise in murder, rape and assault cases. This is a bleak picture compared to the drop in crime recorded during the hard lockdown. Police Minister Bheki Cele said that the figures showed gaps in policing and SAPS would have to pull up its socks to address the problem. (Source: www.dailymaverick.co.za)

NPA is ready to proceed with Zuma’s corruption trial The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has refuted the Jacob Zuma Foundation’s statement, which accuses it of postponing the former President’s corruption trial. Zuma faces charges of racketeering, two counts of corruption, one count of money laundering, and twelve counts of fraud relating to 783 payments he allegedly received in connection with the controversial multi-billion-rand Arms Deal. In a statement issued last

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

The Paris agreement is failing. Yet there is new hope for preserving a liveable planet: the growing global campaign to criminalise ecocide can address the root causes of the climate crisis and safeguard our planet – the common home of all humanity and, indeed, all life on Earth. Nearly five years after the negotiation of the landmark Paris agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions and associated global warming to “well below 2.0C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5C”, we are experiencing drastically accelerating warming. 2020 was the second warmest year on record, following the recordsetting 2019. Carbon in the atmosphere reached 417 parts per million (ppm) – the highest in the last three years. (Source: www.thegaurdian.com)

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NEWS IN BRIEF

facility will have new equipment and space for future growth. (Source: www.durangoherald.com)

Port Elizabeth has a new name: Gqeberha The decision was officially approved and gazetted by sports, arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa last week. Another major name change will see the town of Uitenhage changed to Kariega, while the Port Elizabeth Airport will now be known as Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport. (Source: timeslive.co.za)

‘Etwatwa serial rapist’ strikes again in Ekurhuleni

Costs of protecting yourself against crime must be tax deductible, says lobby group

New Mexico begins construction of new state crime lab

High walls, security cameras, burglar alarms, electric fences, razor wire, armed-response services and home insurance: a lobby group has launched a campaign for all these expenses to be deducted from tax. TLU SA said last week that it wants a change to section 23(b) of the Income Tax Act, which prohibits South Africans from deducting security expenses from income tax — even though companies can deduct these costs. (Source: www.heraldlive.co.za)

The US State Department of Public Safety announced last week that construction of the new $21.9 million forensic laboratory has begun in Santa Fe and is expected to be completed by fall 2022. The new facility will support New Mexico law enforcement and criminal justice agencies and court systems by analysing forensic evidence collected at crime scenes and provide testimony in court. The 44,000-square-foot lab is being built on a state-owned lot in northeast Santa Fe. The new lab will be more than four times the size as the current one, which is 50 years old. Officials said the new

State says it has 217 witnesses ready to testify in the Zuma-Thales corruption case The State says it has lined up 217 witnesses in the case involving former President Jacob Zuma and French arms company Thales. Zuma and Thales face corruption, money laundering and racketeering charges linked to the multibillion-rand arms deal. Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a R30 billion purchase in 1999 of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment from five European arms companies. He allegedly took bribes amounting to R4 million from one of the firms, French defence giant Thales at the time when he was deputy president. Judge Nkosinathi Chili at the High Court in Pietermaritzburg last Tuesday said the matter was certified as trial-ready. (Source: www.ewn.co.za)

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A man suspected to be Ekurhuleni’s most prominent serial rapist has allegedly struck again. Gauteng police began circulating an identikit of the man on Tuesday, saying he was suspected to be behind several rapes and attempted rape cases reported in the past few days. “Police in Gauteng have mobilised maximum resources in the investigation of a rape that took place earlier in Crystal Park, Ekurhuleni, including offering a cash reward to anyone who can urgently assist with information that could lead to the apprehension of the alleged serial rapist believed to be in his late 20s,” police said in a statement. The man, who has been on the SAPS wanted list for more than eight years, is known to operate in the Benoni, Daveyton, Etwatwa, Putfontein and Crystal Park areas. (Source: www.timeslive.co.za)

Facebook reverses its Australian news ban and restores news pages After days of negotiations, Facebook has announced that it will restore Australia’s access to news pages following changes in the country’s media code. At issue was a provision in the country’s proposed News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code which would force platforms like Google and Facebook to pay news sites for their content. It would also require the platforms to give advance notice about shifts in their algorithms. (Source: www.businessinsider.co.za)

11 arrested in crime-ring bust involving guns, drugs, cars and gold Guns, drugs and more than $1m in cash,

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NEWS IN BRIEF

gold, cars and bitcoin have been seized by police as part of a major operation focused on organised crime. Police arrested eleven people who were involved in the Auckland crime ring including those with strong links to the Head Hunters Motorcycle Gang, manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine, as well as their illegal possession of firearms. The four-month-long investigation, dubbed Operation Evansville, run by a joint Tāmaki Makaurau Organised Crime Team, came to an end last week when 21 search warrants were carried out in Henderson, Long Bay, Flatbush and Auckland central. Eleven people were arrested and faced various charges including robbery, unlawful possession of firearms, possession for supply of methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine and money laundering. (Source: www..)

Fake news in the time of Covid-19 – postgrad students share their views The rise of fake news in the Covid-19 era has had terrible consequences already and looks likely to continue to do so. In response, a group of postgraduate students at Rhodes University have developed an educational video that outlines the responsibility of higher education staff and students to address this practice. In the video, these students argue that fake news has as many causes as it does consequences. People who want five minutes of fame in a celebrityobsessed world may simply make up stories, those with an agenda of hate may

use such stories to sow division, and various outlets use fake news as the kind of click-bait that generates advertising revenue. The problem is that such stories quickly gain momentum and can drown out fact-based communication. They also contribute to the general anti-science movement which makes it a challenge to address catastrophes such as the pandemic. Their video calls for those who are privileged to participate in higher education to play a particular role in monitoring fake news stories. Students and staff are challenged to bring to their social media engagement the kind of intellectual criticality they have developed for their research endeavours. Link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lnRWp3QHWfI (Source: www.ru.ac.za)

G4S pushes shareholders to accept Allied offer In 2020, G4S sold most of its cashhandling business to rival Brinks, but held on to the UK operations with attached pension obligations. UK private security group G4S last week urged shareholders to accept Allied Universal’s £3.8bn final offer after the end of the US bidder’s drawn-out takeover battle with Canada’s GardaWorld. Hostile bidder GardaWorld

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

had called a halt to the contest by telling the UK’s takeover panel it would not increase its December bid of 235p per share for the world’s largest private security company. Allied said on Tuesday that it would not increase the 245p per share offer it announced on December 8, making it the final bid. G4S had backed that offer in 2020 after repeatedly rejecting GardaWorld’s hostile advances, but low shareholder acceptance forced repeated extensions to offer deadlines. (Source: www.businesslive.co.za)

Nkandla campers ‘a security threat’ A security assessment has raised concern about activities outside the Nkandla homestead of former president Jacob Zuma, where “some” armed supporters have been threatening violence should the former statesman be arrested. Sunday World can reveal that Police Minister Bheki Cele was dispatched to Zuma’s home after information emerged that some of his sympathisers – taxi bosses and their drivers – were armed with illegal weapons. The situation, according to a source close to President Cyril Ramaphosa, could lead to bloodshed. (Source: www.sundayworld.co.za)

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NEWS

The San Ysidro Port beam following the impact.

Delta Scientific barrier stops intruder at U.S./Mexican border Delta’s TT218EC manual beam prevented an intruder from crossing at the San Ysidro port of entry from Tijuana.

almdale, California – 12 January 2021 Delta Scientific, the leading manufacturer of counter-terrorism vehicle control systems used in the United States and internationally, today announced that a man from Santa Ana, Calif. attempted to cross from Tijuana into the United States via a closed lane at the San Ysidro Port of Entry south of San Diego on the afternoon of 22 December 2020. The Hyundai sedan struck a Delta Scientific TT218EC manual beam vehicle access barrier on the American side of the border. The driver was instantly killed. “The motive for the driver’s intention is still under investigation,” reports Greg Hamm, Delta Scientific vice president of sales and marketing. “He had already hit two people on the Mexican side of the border before crashing into the TT218EC, which is a high security horizontal swing barrier with a K4 crash rating that is typical of the quality and strength of a Delta Scientific made barrier.” A video of the crash is available1. Beam barriers are the perfect solution for ingress and egress applications where you want to leave the roadway undisturbed.

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Delta cable and chain beam barriers are designed and used for both traffic control and high security applications. The buttresses sit on either side of the road with only the beam perched above it. These proven Delta barricade systems are deployed at government facilities, embassies, corporate headquarters, parking structures, nuclear power plants and automotive sales lots. The TT218EC Beam Barricade Swing Gate is specifically used at locations where vertical lifts are impractical and provides clear opening ranges from 10,5ft (3 200mm) to 24ft (7 315 mm). It incorporates a heavy duty, multistranded cable or chain within the boom profile, which is held securely at both ends when fully closed, offering a formidable traffic control barrier. Impact from a moving vehicle is transmitted to the boom-supporting pillars. The high-strength chain of the TT218EC will stop a nonarmored or non-tracked vehicle weighing 30 000lbs (6 804kg) travelling at 30mph (48kph). Delta’s full product line of crash rated barricades can be found at www. deltascientific.com as well as a variety of live crash tests and other information on

their YouTube channel2. About Delta Delta Scientific Corporation is the leading manufacturer of vehicle access control equipment with over 260,000 square feet (24 515m2) of production facilities in Palmdale, California. Delta’s three product lines consist of high-security vehicle barricade systems, parking control equipment and guard booths. Delta Scientific has been engineering and manufacturing vehicle access control equipment since 1974 and sells its products worldwide. Corporate headquarters, equipment sales, systems engineering and technical service are located at 40355 Delta Lane, Palmdale, Calif.93551. Tel. (661) 575-1100. Website: www.deltascientific.com Product installation and maintenance services are provided through Delta’s Tampa, Fla. office. 1. https://deltascientific.com/2021/01/08/ press-release-january-12-2021/ 2. https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCJgreiMrZb218tC9lKvwc5g

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WELLBEING

Why some security personnel cope better than others in a high stress work environment Background: work stress in the South African security industry has not been comprehensively researched or documented. This research piece, conducted as part of a doctorate degree in industrial psychology, includes findings from a self-developed coping questionnaire and an existing personality questionnaire with 381 security personnel, to explore commonly used coping techniques. By Dr Gerhard Schoeman, Industrial Psychologist.

ecurity personnel work in a high risk and, consequently, high stress environment. Any aspect of the organisation, including the physical environment, structures, roles or relationships, can cause negative stress (distress). Poor communication is one of the most common causes of stress in organisations. Working shifts or overtime can also be a major source of stress. People who work in dangerous environments such as the security industry, and encounter threats to their own lives as part of their work, experience even more distress. Similarly, those who witness the death and injury of colleagues or civilians

will also experience a higher level of stress, which may negatively affect their wellbeing. If they don’t use effective coping strategies, they will remain stressed, and this could have a negative impact on them as well as their organisation or community. Stress is generally defined as any circumstances that threaten, or are perceived to threaten, a person’s wellbeing and thereby exceeds their ability to cope. The threat may be in the form of their immediate physical safety, self-esteem, reputation, peace of mind or anything that they value. Work stress is consequently a mental state that can cause behavioural

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

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WELLBEING

disorders in individuals and has become one of the greatest health issues in the modern world. Some of the stressors experienced by security personnel might be chronic in nature, such as fearing for their lives as a result of high crime rates. The safety of others can also be affected by the stress being experienced by one of their team. In extreme circumstances the outcome could be suicidal tendencies or actual suicide, and this is supported by the high suicide rate among South Africa’s security guards, police and military personnel. Individuals use a variety of coping strategies across different situations, but that said, no strategy guarantees a successful outcome and effective strategies will vary depending on the nature of the situation. Even the healthiest coping responses may turn out to be ineffective in some circumstances. Coping strategies: the positive and the negative Science has identified nine healthy coping strategies for security personnel. These include: 1. Training 2. Physical exercise 3. Social support 4. Group cohesion 5. Humour 6. Healthy sleeping habits 7. Healthy diet 8. Religion 9. Relaxation Three unhealthy coping strategies have also been scientifically determined: 1. Avoidance: whether with the use of alcohol, medication or transference and suppression of emotions 2. Denial 3. Social media addiction Researchers have found that personality

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traits are some of the strongest predictors of a person’s wellbeing. Coping strategies have a tendency to be repeated and to become a habitual response. These coping styles tend to become part of the individual’s personality structure. The research results suggest that personality, and in particular neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness to experience and agreeableness, all contribute fundamentally to the use of either avoidance, training, physical exercise, relaxation, sleep or religion as coping strategies. Both neuroticism (an individual’s emotional stability and tendency to experience negative feelings in response to their environment) and avoidance had a negative correlation, implying that if respondents scored high in these areas, they tended to make use of unhealthy coping strategies such as taking out their anger and frustration on other people or objects, and/or using alcohol or medication to deal with their stressful circumstances. Conscientiousness relates to perseverance, responsibility and being organised. Respondents who scored high in this area maintained their physical health through regular exercise, healthy sleeping habits and making time for themselves to relax. They did not avoid dealing with stressful situations – rather they would choose to actively deal with them. Openness to experience involves a person’s willingness to experience new or different things. Respondents who scored high in this category did not avoid dealing with stress but rather tried different approaches. Agreeableness, the degree to which a person is able to get along with other people, and the compassion they have

for others, saw high scorers finding comfort in their religions and sporting activities through interacting with other people. Concerns One of the concerns that emerged during the research is a seeming lack of trust among security personnel. The majority of respondents (64%) indicated that they did not trust their colleagues with their lives. To this end, they went on to say that they would rather rely on friends and family for social support than their colleagues. It is therefore very important to select security personnel whose personality traits embrace healthy coping strategies. Similarly, it’s important to identify specific coping strategies in employees in order to be able to develop targeted stress management interventions. These will not only contribute to the overall wellness of those working in high stress occupations but will also promote healthy organisations and foster positive community relationships.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

DRONES XXX

Drones in the security sector: trends, technology and legislation Expected to be worth about $43 billion by 2024, according to Statista1, although predications vary – the sky is literally the limit for the global commercial drones market.

lready being utilised in almost every industry imaginable, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly referred to as a drone, is just scratching the surface of its potential, says Goldman Sachs2. “Like the internet and GPS before them, drones are evolving beyond their military origin to become powerful business tools. They’ve already made the leap to the consumer market,

and now they’re being put to work in commercial and civil government applications (which is) creating a market opportunity that’s too large to ignore.” It’s a market that has the potential to bolster South Africa’s ailing economy, says Irvin Phenyane, chairman of the Drone Council of South Africa (DCSA)3. “The accelerated growth of the drone industry is paramount to the economic growth of our country,” he said at the launch of the

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Council in mid-2019. In his inaugural speech, Phenyane said South Africa’s “sluggish” response to global drone trends had put the country on the back foot regarding lost investment opportunities, despite it being the first African country to approve RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) regulations. As a result, the Council has come up with an initiative called Operation Catch-Up 2023, which

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DRONES XXX

includes, among its priorities, helping to grow South Africa’s drone market share to at least five per cent of the global drone economy. The elephant in the room Growing South Africa’s drone sector, however, comes with some major challenges. DroneBlogger, in an article titled “Let’s make history lest we be history” on the DroneNews.Africa website4 says that, while the country has a “vibrant drone value chain”, it’s being driven by private players, with very little support from government. Calling this lack of governmental backing “the

glaring elephant in the room”, Droneblogger says that while stateowned Sentech recently invited tenders for the supply of drones to patrol South Africa’s borders, government involvement with drone technology is mostly at regulatory level. According to Goldman Sachs Research, drone technology is now at a point where it’s safer, more durable and cheaper than manned aircraft. As for the future, “the next generation of drones will widen the gap between manned and unmanned flight even further, adding greater stealth, sensory, payload, range, autonomous, and communications

capabilities,” it believes. In its July 2020 report, “A Comprehensive Review of Applications of Drone Technology in the Mining Industry”5, published on the MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) website, the authors highlight the evolution of the UAV, noting some of the key developments around its industrial applications. These, according to the report, go back to the 1860s, when balloons were used to take photos for remote sensing purposes, in the early 1900s, with the deployment of pigeons carrying breast-mounted aerial cameras for photography, and in the early stages of World War 1 with the development of aerial torpedoes. Today, drones are widely used in civilian and military applications and missions, thanks to their ability to carry missionspecific acoustic, visual, chemical, or biological sensors, the report states. Improved design has led to enhanced performance and efficiency, and diverse capabilities, with drones now grouped into nine categories that include fixedwing, flapping wing, rotary-wing, tilt-rotor, ducted fan, helicopter, ornithopter and unconventional. Airspace security trends in 2021 IFSEC International, an annual trade fair and conference for the global security industry, published an article on its website in December last year titled: “Eye

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SPECIAL DRONES FEATURE

in the sky: Airspace security trends to watch out for in 2021”6. The fastest growth opportunity comes from businesses and civil governments. They’re just beginning to explore the possibilities, but we expect they’ll spend $13 billion on drones between now and 2020, putting thousands of them in the sky. Here’s where you might see them7. Quoting the findings of a report by Coherent Market Insights, which predicts that the drone market is in for significant growth over the next few years, IFSEC’s article identifies specific areas such as the increasing adoption of drone applications by defence and government, favourable regulations and standards, and applications that support smart city safety and crowd management. Also in the IFSEC article is an interview with Amit Samani, VP of Americas and UK, Sales at Dedrone, who is expecting drone usage to rise exponentially on the back of the global Covid-19 pandemic. By way of explanation, he says that drones can assist business owners with maintaining social distancing in the workplace as well as

supporting areas such as inspection, delivery and surveillance. Samani envisages an increase in disrupted events at airports, stadiums and other open-air facilities as more and more “bad actors” capitalise on their power to harm business reputations through disruption or by exploiting vulnerabilities, as happened with the drone that disrupted a major league baseball game in August 2020 – despite Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations that prohibit unmanned aircraft from flying within a radius of three nautical miles of MLB stadia an hour before and an hour after a game. Among the emerging security threats for 2021 is “drone blackmail”, he continues, with bad actors capitalising on the threat of downtime at critical infrastructure sites such as airlines. As drone technology advances, he warns, “airspace security programmes will need to increase, not only the scope of types of consumer and commercial drones to detect, but also ensure that drone swarms can be detected

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as reliably as a single drone. Especially for defense organisations, the smaller threat could be a single drone, but terrorists, criminals and other bad actors will challenge drone detection systems by evading detection, either through developing technology that is difficult to detect, or flying multiple drones in a single instance, such as was observed at the Palo Verde nuclear power plant, or the “mysterious drone swarm” in Colorado, which prompted months of speculation and investigation, but no answers.” Drones in the security industry USA-based DARTdrones8 says that aerial surveillance is a critical component in areas that require heightened security and monitoring or speedy real-time response, hence the increasing use of drones in the security industry. Equipped with thermal imaging capabilities, drones are ideal for night time or low-light surveillance, able to provide high-definition imagery for either immediate action or storage. Drones are also being used to investigate

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DRONES XXX

security threats, evaluate critical situations and assist with determining appropriate response measures to fires, traffic incidents and other disasters thanks to their ability to access a scene in a fraction of the time that it would take human personnel, says the company. And there are many more benefits, too. From a cost point of view, a drone costs substantially less than other traditional methods of aerial imaging; with vibration dampening and brushless motors, new drones can operate with far less noise than older models – a “clear advantage when monitoring is called for in response to intrusions at, or around, a given facility”; and they are able to respond rapidly to events or remote locations. Drone law in South Africa and the rest of the world Drone law in South Africa is both interesting and complex, says Michalsons Attorneys9. “South Africa is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which is working

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with member states to create an international regulatory framework for drones using Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS). The flying of drones in the South African airspace had been unregulated and essentially illegal. Initially, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) responded by clamping down on drones already operating in the South African civil aviation airspace. But now, SACAA has collaborated with the drone industry and formulated regulations to deal with this rapidly expanding industry. These regulations have been adopted by the Minister of Transport and may be found in Part 101 of the South African Civil Aviation Regulations. They came into force on 1 July 2015, and South Africa became one of the first countries to have comprehensive drone law. This placed South Africa as a world leader in drone regulation, and many other countries have followed suit. Elsewhere in the world, UAV legislation is also evolving to accommodate trends

and threats. Notably, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) introduced new legislation in December 2020, with the result that EU member countries, as well as the United Kingdom, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway, will now fall under this blanket legislation. 1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/878018/ global-commercial-drone-market-size/ 2. https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/ technology-driving-innovation/drones/ 3. https://www.dronecouncil.africa/about-us/ 4. https://dronenews.africa/sa-drone-council-letsmake-history-lest-we-be-history/?fbclid=IwAR1 E7UMJe6Aw7piJ03RO9yKHMAAJkGUYbbrsM5 AoC2VVEB6NA9wS4c_igbg 5. https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/4/3/34 6. https://www.ifsecglobal.com/drones/eye-in-thesky-airspace-security 7. https://www.ifsecglobal.com/drones/eye-inthe-sky-airspace-security-trends-to-watch-outfor-2021/ 8. https://www.dartdrones.com/security-drones/ 9. https://www.michalsons.com/blog/drone-lawin-south-africa/16543

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DRONES XXX

Worldwide drone incidents Learn about the latest drone-related incidents and intrusions from around the world. From https://www.dedrone.com/resources/incidents/all. Used with permission.

rone flies over pasture in Altenmünster and startles horse: mare injured by electric fence. Private/Non-Coporate. Altenmünster, Germany. 25 February 2021. https://translate.google.com/ translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=https://www. stadtzeitung.de/region/altenmuenster/blaulicht/ drohne-fliegt-ueber-weide-altenmuensterschreckt-pferd-stute-verletzt-elektrischem-zaunid219551.html Mossos stop drone flight over CampNou in Barcelona. Stadiums. Barcelona, Spain. 24 February 2021. https://www-mundodeportivo-com.cdn. ampproject.org/c/s/www.mundodeportivo.com/ futbol/fc-barcelona/20210224/492269528522/ interceptan-un-dron-que-intentaba-sobrevolar-elcamp-nou-durante-el-partido.html?facet=amp Illegal drone activity causes delays at Frankfurt airport. Airports. Frankfurt, Germany. 20 February 2021. https://translate.google.com/ translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=https://www. sueddeutsche.de/panorama/kriminalitaetfrankfurt-am-main-drohne-am-frankfurterflughafen-gezielte-stoeraktion-dpa.urn-newsmldpa-com-20090101-210221-99-528433 Passenger plane is engulfed in flames at Saudi international airport after

‘drone attack’ claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels Airports, Abha, Saudi Arabia, 10 February 2021. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ article-9245129/Civilian-plane-fire-Saudi-Arabiainternational-airport-attacked-Houthi-rebels.html Drones are biggest tactical concern since the rise of IEDs in Iraq, CENTCOM boss says. Government/Military. Qayyarah Air Base, Iraq. 9 February 2021. https://www.armytimes.com/news/yourarmy/2021/02/08/drones-are-biggest-tacticalconcern-since-ieds-rose-in-iraq-four-starsays/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%20 02.09.21&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20 Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief Florida man charged for flying drone near Super Bowl. Stadiums. Tampa, FL, USA. 7 February 2021. https://www.uasvision.com/2021/02/08/ florida-man-charged-for-flying-drone-near-superbowl/ Chilean navy helicopter collides with DJI Mavic Air 2 drone Airports. Santo Domingo, Chile. 23 January 2021. https://dronexl-co.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/dronexl. co/2021/01/26/helicopter-collides-dji-drone/?amp

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Drones cause a lot of trouble, even with less air traffic. Airports. Frankfurt, Germany. 20 January 2021. https://translate.google.com/ translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=https://www. frankfurt-live.com/drohnen-machen-auch-beiwenig-flugverkehr-viel--aumlrger-128477.html Ten malicious drones were spotted in Hamburg. Airports. Hamburg, Germany. 18 January 2021. https://translate.google.com/ translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=https://www.zeit.de/ news/2021-01/18/in-hamburg-wurden-2020zehn-gefaehrliche-drohnen-gesichtet Man arrested for flying drone carrying mobile phones and drugs near maximum security prison in Laois. Prisons. Portlaoise, Ireland. January 8, 2021. https://www.irishpost.com/news/man-arrestedfor-flying-drone-carrying-mobile-phones-anddrugs-near-maximum-security-prison-inlaois-201104 For more information on what Dedrone is doing to secure the airspace of airports, correctional facilities, stadiums, military organisations and critical infrastructures against malicious drones, visit: https://www.dedrone.com/

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RISK DRONES PREVENTION XXX

Year in review: understanding fraud trends during Covid-19 Consumers have fully embraced digital payments in the Covid-19 era. In fact, a staggering 78% of consumers have now completely adapted their payment methods due to safety concerns and 48% will no longer shop at a store which doesn’t offer contactless payment1. While presenting enormous opportunity for digital-first retailers, these new behaviours are not without risks. By Bevan Smith, Head of Risk: VISA Sub Saharan Africa.

ith consumer’s shift online, fraudsters have sought opportunities to exploit changes in how people pay for goods and services. Global businesses reported an average of 4,000 cyberattacks on average, per day, since Covid-19 began, representing a 400% increase from what was reported pre-pandemic2. In turn, we were seeing organisations adopting new security procedures to ensure transactions remain trusted and secure. Covid-19 presents fraudsters with new opportunities This new era of fraud is marked by ever more sophisticated attempts to trick people into sharing sensitive information. For example, across Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, we have seen an increase in social engineering attacks, including phishing, where fraudsters are exploiting the gaps which existed pre-pandemic and have intensified during the crisis. Phishing, specifically, has grown much more complex throughout the pandemic, and now includes a number of variants, such as spear phishing - attacks targeting a specific victim with personalised communication and vishing (voice phishing scams), as well as spoofed

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websites. Impersonations can be made to appear like family, friends, executives, or government officials. ‘Friendly fraud’ is another type of attack on the rise, where an individuals’ card and passcodes are used without permission by friends, family or other close associates. For merchants it can be a cost to doing business because it’s difficult to track, and most of the time refunds are issued without investigating the matter further. Friendly fraud is said to reduce legitimate sales by 1% and profits by 20%3. Ecosystem responded well Despite this, the commerce ecosystem has recognised the challenges and responded well, taking a technology-led approach to address emerging threats. While most businesses were already investing in technology-led security systems, the pandemic kicked this into overdrive, as businesses fought to better combat fraudsters and navigate the new, digital world. As businesses accelerated the use of secure technologies, including tokenisation, contactless and EMV ‘smart card’ chips, the secure nature and performance of digital transactions also improved.

Investing in security for the post-Covid world With Covid-driven uncertainty set to remain in the near future, the next 12 to 18 months may bring even more disruption and transformation. However, I believe that the dramatic shift we have seen towards digital payment will continue as consumers and merchants show increasing preference for eCommerce and contactless payments. The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the widespread use of digital payment methods, with customers across the globe opting for contactless payment and digital alternatives. Even as lockdowns lift, the growth in digital commerce continues, indicating a real shift in consumer behaviour and one which will last well into the new year, and long after Covid-19. In fact, 96% of consumers in the CEMEA region expect that their use of e-commerce will increase or stay the same post Covid-194. Given how rapidly consumer behaviour is changing and how sophisticated fraudsters are, it is not surprising that the complexity of risk management will likely increase in the near future. 79% of organisations say that risk management will be a growing focus for their company over the next two years5. Moving forward, merchants are expecting contactless usage to grow by around 30% post pandemic, making it more important than ever for organisations to embrace the demand for digital6. Of course, as fraudsters become increasingly sophisticated in a digital world, organisations must innovate and invest in technology to, not only meet evolving demands, but to ensure the safety and security of digital transactions for customers. Investing in new, innovative ways of onboarding customers and new ways to pay, such as online, in-app, contactless, and IoT, will make or break a business in a post-Covid-19 world. 1. The Visa Back to Business Study: Global Small Business and Consumer Insights, 2020. 2. Top Cyber Security Experts Report: 4,000 Cyber Attacks a Day Since Covid-19 Pandemic. Prnewswire. August 2020. 3. Source: Tough Customers and Thieves: How Fraudsters Disguised as Your Most Demanding Customers May Be Robbing You Blind. Payments Journal. August 2020. 4. The Visa Covid-19 CEMEA Impact Tracker 5. Managing Risk in the Age of Digital Transformation, Forrester Study Commissioned by Visa, May 2020. 6. The Visa Covid-19 CEMEA Impact Tracker.

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REPORTBACK CRIME OVERVIEW

An overview of South Africa’s latest National Police Crime Statistics Certain categories of violent crime in South Africa showed an alarming increase in the last quarter of 2020, according to Police Minister General Bheki Cele.

n his speech ahead of the release of the country’s crime statistics for the period October to December 20201 on 19 February 2021, Cele noted that cash-in-transit (CIT) heists had increased by 66,7%, while the murder rate shot up by 6.6%, trio crimes (carjacking, house robbery, business robbery) by 7%, and rape by 5%. There was some good news in that property-related crimes decreased by 15.8%, stock theft by 6.9%, the theft of vehicles and motorcycles by more than 20% and burglary at residential and non-residential premises “had declined drastically”. Murder The 6.6% increase in the murder rate translated to 389 more people killed compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year. Mpumalanga province recorded the highest increase of 13,7% while Limpopo, North West and

Northern Cape provinces recorded a decline. The top four causative factors were arguments, home and business robberies, mob justice incidents and gang-related killings. Further, he noted, 2 481 people were murdered in public places such as streets, open fields, parking areas and abandoned buildings. “The second most likely place for murder to occur is at the home of the victim or of the perpetrator,” he continued, adding that liquor outlets were the third most likely place to be killed at in South Africa. Rape and gender-based violence The 5% increase in rape translated to 12 218 victims, he said, with more than 4 900 incidents occurring at either the home of the victim or the home of the rapist. Inanda, Umlazi in Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape’s Lusikisiki police stations recorded the highest incidents of rape. Regarding GBV, Cele said that 129

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perpetrators had been given life sentences during the three months of reporting. Farm attacks Nineteen people were killed on farms and smallholdings during the last quarter of 2020. Assault “Assault figures show that violence stalks our society and, in many cases, the violence is aggravated by alcohol abuse,” Cele said, noting that 50 124 cases of assault were opened with the police during the three months of reporting. Trio crimes The “crimes feared most by South Africans” increased, he said, with 77 more residential robberies in the period of October to December 2020 than during the same period in the previous year. However, there was some relief for business owners: 374 less businesses were

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CRIME REPORTBACK OVERVIEW

robbed during this period. “Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the country’s trucking industry,” he continued, with delivery vans and trucks being increasingly targeted. “The majority of the vehicles, including courier vans, were targeted for their cargo, which is usually food, appliances and other priced goods.” CIT attacks The current plans in place were not working, he said, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) had to change its responses to CIT robberies. To this end, he gave the assurance that the police would shortly be meeting with leaders in the CIT industry. Covid-19 impact “The impact of the pandemic has been widely documented, as well as the effect that Covid-19 continues to have on our healthcare system, our economy and our livelihoods,” Cele said, adding that the pandemic was also impacting on policing, infecting over 27 000 members and claiming the lives of 570. “At the same time, we remain encouraged that over 25 000 of our members have recovered and are back at work, serving their communities. While some of our members fight for their lives, others continue their fight against ruthless criminals, each day.” In closing Cele said: “The National Crime Statistics from October to December 2020 do not paint a good picture… amidst the pandemic, we cannot, as the SAPS, afford to let our guard down. We MUST and we WILL do more to turn this crime picture around. I remain concerned about the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces which, as these stats show, are regressing in their fight against crime. These two provinces, together with the Free State and the Western Cape, all recorded over 10% increases in the crime of murder. As the Police Ministry and Police management, we have taken a decision to have operational oversight in these four provinces and monitor them closely. We expect a turnaround plan to be adopted and executed urgently and effectively. Failure to do so must result in consequences.” 1. https://www.saps.gov.za/services/october_to_ december_2020_21_crimestats.pdf

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Overview of Q3 2020 Crime Statistics Crime Category

Figures

Murder 6.6% Sexual Offences

1.8%

Attempted murder

8.7%

Assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm 1.4% Common assault

0.6%

Common robbery

- 12.6%

Robbery with aggravating circumstances

- 7.4%

Rape 1.5% Sexual assault

4.5%

Carjacking 7.4% Robbery at residential premises

1.3%

Robbery at non-residential premises

- 6.9%

Robbery of Cash-In-Transit

66.7%

Bank robbery

one case

Truck hijacking

34.2%

Arson

- 4.2%

Malicious damage to property Burglary at non-residential premises

1.5% - 9.5%

Burglary at residential premises

- 17.2%

Theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle

- 20.2%

Theft out or from motor vehicle

- 6.9%

Stock theft

- 6.8%

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

TRENDS

ProLabs and the ‘new 5G backhaul economy’ As we navigate our way through the Covid-19 pandemic, we are finding that economic and social survival is tied to the ability to work and play at a distance. If ever there was a time for a revolutionary new internet technology to take hold, now would seem to be that time.

o says Raymond Hagen, Americas Product Manager at ProLabs, a global leader in optical networking infrastructure. He notes in a recent blog entry that: “Visionaries may state that 5G will offer access to new applications like artificial intelligence and smart city infrastructure that could define the next industrial revolution. Companies and countries failing to act now will find themselves left behind global and regional powers that are indeed investing in 5G.” Hagen says, “The ‘New Backhaul Economy’ is poised to disrupt the traditional wireless backhaul ecosystem built for previous wireless generations.” To this, Marcel Fouché, networking and

storage general manager at value-added distributor, Networks Unlimited Africa, which distributes ProLabs in sub-Saharan Africa, offers a clarification. Says Fouché, “5G is a revolutionary next-generation mobile network that is not just a technology implementation but shifts the entire network architecture paradigm. Wireless backhaul is the wireless communication and network infrastructure responsible for transporting communication data from end users or nodes to the central network or infrastructure and vice versa.” As Hagen notes, wholesale backhaul services in the 4G and earlier environments were simple and straightforward, and a backhaul provider

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

could be assured of the fibre capacity for current and future data needs. Today, however, as we look ahead to the widespread rollout of 5G enhanced mobile broadband, we can see that it is able to achieve significantly improved data rates, but it also requires the ‘pipes’ feeding the network to be super-sized. “Therefore,” continues Fouche, “significant changes in infrastructure are required to effect the functionality of the fifth-generation technology standard for cellular networks. This includes the transition from backhaul into x-Haul (including fronthaul, midhaul and backhaul), with implications for mobile operators, network wholesalers and transport providers from both the

securityfocusafrica.com

TRENDS

technological and business aspects.” He clarifies, “Fronthaul is a similar concept to backhaul, which, simply put, links the mobile network back to the wired network. Fronthaul is the connection between a new network architecture of centralised baseband controllers and remote standalone radio heads at cell sites. Similarly, ‘midhaul’ could be the link between the controller or the radio head that feeds the next link.” Hagen says, “Internet of Things, smart energy, smart agriculture, and critical performance applications such as driverless cars are a few of the many applications for 5G technology. The supporting 5G x-Haul architecture will require not only significant bandwidth upgrades in backhaul transport links but in the distribution (midhaul) and access (fronthaul) network segments. “…5G’s x-Haul architecture will aggregate data from multiple radios to distribution unit (DU) and central unit (CU) elements at significantly higher data rates than earlier generations. The fibre infrastructure required to aggregate 5G’s massive data requirements is central to the ‘new backhaul economy’.” Alkesh Patel, SVP EMEA and India from ProLabs, says, “Success in this new economy will be driven by participants that adapt rapidly to solve the challenges of offering 5G x-Haul services. ProLabs offers high quality optical transceivers that not only cater to new 5G implementations but also support the move from legacy systems to 5G transport in a cost-effective manner.” About ProLabs ProLabs is a leading provider of optical networking solutions. For over two decades, it has delivered optical connectivity solutions that give customers freedom, choice, and seamless interoperability. It serves a diverse range of industries including enterprises, governments, and the largest worldwide service providers. By championing higher standards for technology and service, ProLabs is changing the mindset of data centre and service providers the world over. It supplies solutions that are 100% compatible in form and functionality across 100 OEM manufacturers, covering more than 20,000 systems and platforms. For more information, please visit www.prolabs.com.

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About Networks Unlimited Africa Networks Unlimited is a value-added distributor, committed to empowering African businesses through innovative technology solutions. Our focus includes the world’s leading security, networking, storage, enterprise system management (ESM) and cloud technologies. As a company, we are dedicated to taking our partner ecosystem to new heights. We support our partners through operational excellence, a competitive pricing strategy and strong focus on education, with the view of investing in long-term relationships. We work with competitive, resilient businesses, who are leaders in their field of excellence.

Our offerings include a portfolio of products highly regarded by Gartner, such as Altaro, Attivo Networks, Carbon Black, Cofense, Fortinet, F5, Hitachi Vantara, NETSCOUT, NVIDIA, ProLabs, RSA, Rubrik, SentinelOne, SevOne, Silver Peak, Tenable, Tintri and Uplogix. Contacts Networks Unlimited Africa prolabs@nu.co.za +27 (0) 11 202 8400 icomm Vivienne Fouché, +27 (0) 82 602 1635 vivienne@pr.co.za www.icomm-pr.co.za

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Why the switch to smart video requires more dynamic data storage According to Omdia Research, over 116 million network cameras were shipped in the professional surveillance market in 2019, with the capability to generate almost 9 petabytes (9,000,000 gigs of data storage) of video every day. By Brian Mallari, director of product marketing, Smart Video, Western Digital.

nd that number will only increase as demand continues to grow and emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), get incorporated into the device. As a result, data storage providers need to consider how the solutions they offer work to accommodate increased complexity. It’s important to note that the evolution of smart video is not happening in a vacuum. The progression of the technology is happening alongside other technological and data infrastructure advancements, such as 5G or the Internet of Things (IoT). As these technologies come together, they are impacting the architecture of data storage solutions. There are five big trends we are seeing within the evolution of smart video: 1. Innovation and growth The number and types of cameras continue to grow, and each new type brings new

capabilities. Having more cameras allows more to be seen and captured. This could mean having more coverage or more angles. It also means more real-time video may be captured and used to train AI. Cameras are increasingly demanding higher resolution as well, with the likes of 4K, which is more data-intensive than lower quality feeds. The more detailed the video, the more insights may be extracted, and the more effective the AI algorithms may become. In addition, new cameras transmit not just a main video stream but also additional low-bitrate streams used for low-bandwidth monitoring and AI pattern matching. Unlike cameras of years gone by, smart cameras are operating 24/7, 365 days a year. This always-on technology naturally leads to a higher workload and more substantial storage requirements to cope with the data transfer and writing speeds. As these cameras are adopted more

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

regularly across manufacturing and public sector industries, on-camera and edge storage will become relied upon to deliver longevity and reliability. 2. Any time, any place It does not matter if it is for a business, for scientific research or even for our personal lives – we capture data on almost everything. As a result, we are seeing new types of cameras that can capture new types of data which may be analysed. The onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to thermal cameras that help identify those with a fever and explosion-proof cameras are being used in areas of highest environmental risk. Cameras can be found everywhere – atop buildings, inside moving vehicles, in drones, and even in doorbells. As companies design storage technology, location and form factor must

securityfocusafrica.com

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

be taken into consideration. It’s important to think of the accessibility of cameras. Are they in hard-to-reach spaces, will they need to withstand extreme temperature variations? All of these possibilities need to be taken into account to ensure long-lasting, reliable continuous recording of critical video data. 3. Specialising for AI Improved compute capabilities in cameras means processing happens at the device level, enabling real-time decisions at the edge. New chipsets for cameras that deliver improved AI capability and deep neural network processing for on-camera deep learning analytics, are now in market and ready to be taken advantage of. According to industry analysts Omdia, shipments of cameras with embedded deep-learning analytics capability will grow at a rate of 64 percent annually between 2019 and 2024. This reflects not only the innovation happening within cameras but also the expectation that deep learning will take place on-camera, too. Even for solutions that employ standard security cameras, AI-enhanced chipsets and discrete graphics processing units (GPUs) are being utilised in network video recorders (NVRs), video analytics appliances, and edge gateways to enable advanced AI functions and deep learning analytics. One of the biggest changes is that there is a need to go beyond just storing single and multiple camera streams. Today, metadata from real-time AI and reference data for pattern matching needs to be stored as well. 4. Deep learning and the cloud Just as camera and recorder chipsets are coming with more compute power, in today’s smart video solutions most of the video analytics and deep learning is still done with discrete video analytics appliances, or in the cloud, as that’s where big data resides. Broader IoT applications that use sensor data beyond video are also tapping into the power of the deep learning cloud to create more effective AI. To support these new AI workloads, the cloud has gone through some transformation. Neural network processors within the cloud have adopted the use of massive GPU clusters or custom field-programmable gate arrays too. They are being fed thousands of hours of training video, and petabytes of

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data. These workloads depend on the high capacity capabilities of enterpriseclass hard drives (HDDs) – which already supports 20tb per drive – and high performance enterprise SSD flash devices, platforms or arrays. 5. 5G’s impact on networks Wired and wireless internet have enabled the scalability and ease of installation that has fueled the explosive adoption of security cameras – but it could only do so where local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) infrastructures already exist. But 5G is on the way. 5G removes many barriers to deployment, allowing expansive options for placement and ease of installation of cameras at a metropolitan level. With this ease of deployment comes new greater scalability, which drives use cases and further advancements in both camera and cloud design. For example, cameras can now be stand-alone, with direct connectivity to a centralised cloud – they are no longer dependent on a local network. Emerging cameras that are 5G-ready are being designed to load and run third party applications that can bring broader capabilities. The sky really is the limit on smart video innovation brought about by 5G. Yet with greater autonomy, these cameras will need even more dynamic storage. They will require new combinations of endurance, capacity, performance, and power efficiency to be able to optimally handle the variability of new app-driven functions. The developments in the world of smart video are both complex and exciting, which means the requisite data storage must respond in kind. To cope with the new workloads that have been created and to prepare for the further innovation that lies ahead, architectural changes must be made at the edge and at endpoints. All the while, deep learning analytics continue to evolve at the back end and in the cloud. The always-on nature of smart video, teamed with the likes of AI or 5G, means that enterprises who oversee a substantial camera network should be considering the storage requirements behind the technology when making these investments. Durable, reliable data storage is needed to ensure critical data is not lost, to comply with regulations and to track information that is important to the company.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

PERSONALITY XXX PROFILE

Ian Meadows In conversation with… Ian Meadows, Gallagher security sales manager for India, the Middle East and Africa.

“As we plough full-steam into 2021, we need to seize every opportunity that comes our way.”

orn in London, England, Ian Meadows now calls New Zealand his home – though he typically spends at least a quarter of the year visiting the IMEA (India, Middle East, Africa) regions in his position as Sales Manager for Gallagher security. Celebrating 34 years of service with Gallagher security, which is headquartered in Hamilton, New Zealand, and has offices around the world, including South Africa, Australia, the United Kingdom, Asia and North America, Ian has worked his way up to his present position, that of Sales Manager in charge of the IMEA regions. It’s a journey that began with his appointment as an electronics assembler in 1987 when the company was trading as Cardax. “I was part of the team that produced the first twelve Cardax III units, which was a huge technological milestone!”

In 1999, Cardax was acquired by Gallagher, a global technology leader in integrated access control, intruder alarms management, and perimeter protection. “Gallagher’s security solutions are in use within the highest levels of national and local government, military, commercial, industrial, healthcare, transportation and academic organisations in more than 130 countries,” he says proudly. The road to success I’ve held several positions during my time with Gallagher, ranging from electronic assembler, repair technician, security production team leader, through to technical support, technical account manager, business development manager for Asia, India and the Middle East, and then in 2020 IMEA sales manager. My journey with Gallagher has been an exciting one, filled with learning, travel and many laughs along the way – and I’ve witnessed some incredible innovation

Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

from within the company. After finishing school, I studied electronics and computer science at Southampton Technical College in England. My first job after qualifying was as an auto electrician in England. What do you enjoy most about your job? I love the thrill that comes from solving real problems for our customers and providing innovative solutions that add genuine value to their businesses. In my current role, I have been involved with some exciting projects that span many countries and industries, from installing 1 400 readers with elevator and intercom system integration at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, to a venture spanning 28 buildings and more than 6 000 cardholders at Zayed University in Dubai. Every day is a new opportunity, and that is what Gallagher is all about. It’s in the Gallagher DNA to discover, design and deliver customer-inspired solutions that redefine what is possible for customers around the world. Whilst we have more than 13 000 customers globally, there are so many more

securityfocusafrica.com

PERSONALITY PROFILE

businesses yet to experience our innovative solutions, which is an exciting challenge and goal to say the least! Memorable moments? One of them was travelling to a meeting in Bangkok on the back of a motorcycle in a suit, carrying my laptop and demo kit! The traffic was gridlocked, and it was impossible to get there in a car, so I hopped on to a motorcycle taxi and the driver got me there on time, albeit by driving along the pavements and against the traffic in some places! What personality traits do you admire most in people? Honesty and integrity. And, by the same token, I dislike dishonesty and lack of integrity. In the time of Covid-19, what are the effects on the security industry now and likely going forward? 2020 was a year like no other, with challenges galore. But security manufacturers can take heart from the fact their rapidly evolving solutions have proved and are continuing to prove, central to managing the pandemic. From a security perspective, the pandemic has forced companies to review the way they approach the health, safety and security of their staff. As offices reopen and we emerge from an extended period of lockdown, integrations with elevated body temperature and mask detection devices are now very important to customers. Also critical is the ability to quickly trace people who have come into contact with those presenting with Covid-19 symptoms in the workplace. To this end, a key release for many users last year was Gallagher’s Proximity and Contact Tracing Report, which gives customers critical information that allows them to manage exposure and protect the health and safety of people on site. What’s on your career bucket list? I have my fingers and toes crossed that 2021 brings with it the opportunity to travel to my markets again. That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to the most. Electronic means of communication are great tools, but people do business with people, and direct human interaction can’t be

securityfocusafrica.com

The Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.

supplemented by technology. Humans are analogue beings. What do you regard as the main challenges facing South Africa’s security sector? South Africa lags behind in cybersecurity legislation and security standards in government and organisations, where electronic security is crucial for business continuity, the protection of staff, assets and the public, as well as the supply of skilled labour. Currently, South Africa does not have an industry-specific qualification for the electronic security industry. Establishing qualifications for sales, solution architects, installation technicians and commissioning engineers

would be extremely beneficial, and would help improve professionalism within the industry. With the formation of the new and exciting organisation, the Electronic Security Industry Alliance (ESIA), under the auspices of the Security Industry Alliance (SIA), we are sure to see improvements in this space. I believe some of their objectives are centred around training, and also installing a set of standards/codes of practice regarding operation and accountability in the marketplace. Last word? Despite the challenges, there are also opportunities. Seize them!

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

NEWS

Elvey appointed as Ajax distributor Elvey was recently appointed as a distributor for the Ajax range of intrusion technology.

ccording to Ingo Mutinelli – head of sales in South Africa for Ajax Systems – the decision was clear-cut and based on Elvey’s long-standing reputation for successfully growing the footprint of various security technology brands throughout Southern Africa. “Elvey has a strong national branch network, which includes all formerly TPA-branded outlets, each manned by a highly competent and technically-skilled team of support technicians and engineers. The network will provide our customers with the highest levels of technical pre- and after-market support and service, ensuring best advice on installations, prompt product turnaround times and maximised system uptime,” Mutinelli points out. The Ajax product line includes 33 devices for protection of premises and adjacent territories, fire safety, and flood protection, as well as home automation. It can also integrate video surveillance. “Our appointment as an Ajax

distributor will help to provide our customers with access to a far wider range of intruder detection technology. Of particular appeal with the Ajax range is its ability to readily and seamlessly integrate with other security systems and with home automation systems. Homeowners are looking for increased value-add on all their purchases as a result of restricted budgets resulting from the national lockdown,” says Zane Greeff – sales lead at Elvey. Some of the key features of the Ajax system include: • Two separate, free apps – one for installers and one for homeowners – allowing remote configuring and controlling of Ajax systems. • The Ajax Hub control panel manages all Ajax devices; arms and disarms the property; and in case of a threat, notifies an alarm response centre as well as the user via SMS, push notification or phone call. • The hub uses Ajax’s encrypted radio protocol, Jeweller, to connect to

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

detectors and monitor them. • Ajax Cloud, the company’s cloud server, connects the user’s hub to their smartphone for delivery of instantaneous alarm notifications. • ReX is the Ajax security system radio signal range extender that expands the boundaries of the protected area. • Two fire detection devices– the FireProtect and FireProtect Plus – promptly react to smoke or a sharp temperature rise. FireProtect Plus can also prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. • The corrosion-resistant LeaksProtect flood prevention detector identifies pipe breakages, as well as geyser, washing machine or dishwasher leaks. “We look forward to working closely with installers to devise customised smart monitoring solutions for their customers’ installations, based on the Ajax offering,” says Greeff. For more information contact Elvey, +27 (0) 11 401 6700, info@elvey.co.za, www.elvey.co.za

securityfocusafrica.com

NEWS

Video users must guard against tampering claims, warns IDIS Brentford, London, United Kingdom, 18 February 2021 – Growing concern about deep-fake videos will make it increasingly important to be able to demonstrate the integrity of video evidence, warn South Korea’s largest in-country video tech manufacturer IDIS.

apid advances in digital video manipulation techniques, and a rise in alleged deep-fake celebrity videos being reported in the news, will put pressure on both video tech users and on prosecutors to demonstrate the integrity of any footage they use. “As we look ahead, wherever video is presented for use as legal evidence, or as part of internal disciplinary proceedings, we will see more attempts to assert that the footage is not genuine. Courts will dismiss evidence where tampering cannot be ruled out,” says Dr Peter Kim, Global Technical Consultant, IDIS. “Any challenge to the integrity of video evidence, if not countered, risks undermining the value of the entire video solution. This is particularly true in applications where investigating and

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prosecuting wrongdoing is a key function of the camera system. So, it will be vital that users can demonstrate, beyond doubt, that their footage has not been tampered with in any way.” IDIS, which supplies complete, end-toend video solutions for applications ranging from high-risk critical infrastructure to commercial settings, has created protection-of-video-footageintegrity through its patented Chained Fingerprint™ algorithm. IDIS recorders use Chained Fingerprint to ensure the integrity of the recorded and exported video data. Each frame is assigned a unique numerical ‘fingerprint’, calculated by relating its own pixel value to the fingerprint of the previous frame. This means that every single image frame of the video is linked by an encryption

‘chain’ with its neighbouring image frames. The encrypted chain is stored as part of the video data when the video is recorded or exported as a video clip using the IDIS ClipPlayer. Before playback, the ClipPlayer scans video and recalculates the fingerprint chains of the video data. If any part of the image frame is tampered with, the fingerprint chain will be broken and will not match the chain value calculated at the time of video export, prompting a flag. “As organisations look to upgrade or invest in new video solutions, protecting themselves against claims of video evidence tampering should be high on their priority list,” adds Kim. For more information on IDIS products and solutions go to www.idisglobal.com.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

NEWS

Gartner says customer service and support leaders plan to focus budget on digital channels and capabilities in 2021 New research provides insight into customer service and support priorities for 2021. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-02-11-gartner-says-customer-service-and-supportleaders-pla

eventy percent of customer service and support leaders plan to dedicate the largest budget allocation to digital channels and capabilities in 2021, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. In fact, transitioning to self-service channels and bolstering digital capabilities remains a top priority for many customer service and support leaders for the year ahead. In October-November 2020, Gartner asked more than eighty customer service and support leaders from B2B and B2C organisations to rate their 2021 priorities based on the changes and challenges that they encountered during 2020. Migrating contact volume from assisted to self-service channels, upgrading legacy

contact center technology and automating customer service processes – all of which fall under digital channels and capabilities – were rated the top three most important priorities in 2021 (see Figure 1). “Although 2020 challenged the operations and strategy of many service and support leaders, the focus on developing a greater digital and selfservice product in 2021 remained consistent,” said Jacob Joseph-David, senior principal in the Gartner Customer Service and Support practice1. “To deliver on this digital promise, service leaders must progress beyond adding new channels and capabilities to making the functional transformation into a self-

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

service-dominant organisation.” There is also a growing focus on the need to understand the customer’s experience through data. In the next ten years, service leaders foresee a large shift from simply handling customers’ requests to using customer data to provide high-quality service that handles both the issue at hand and customers’ end-to-end experience. “Collecting voice of the customer2 data is one the best tools service leaders can deploy to understand customer experience3,” said Mr. Joseph-David. “To facilitate the shift to end-to-end experience, service and support leaders will need to benchmark their current voice of the customer data collection methods,

securityfocusafrica.com

NEWS

Figure 1: Most Important Priorities for 2021 Source: Gartner (February 2021)

understand the value of the data currently collected via each method and the future value of the methods in the next five years.” Gartner Customer Service and Support Leaders clients can learn more about these priorities in the report “Strategic Trends and Priorities for Service and Support Leaders in 20214”. About Gartner for Customer Service and Support Leaders The customer service and support function is vital to maintaining customer loyalty and influencing brand perceptions. Gartner for Customer Service and Support Leaders5 provides indispensable insights, advice and tools needed to achieve service and support leaders’ mission-critical priorities, specifically improving the customer experience while managing costs.

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Gartner’s research, advice and best practices equip customer service and support leaders to design an optimal service channel strategy; measure and reduce customer effort; and hire, develop and retain high-potential frontline talent.

hundred countries — across all major functions, in every industry and enterprise size. To learn more about how we help decision makers fuel the future of business, visit gartner.com.

About Gartner Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading research and advisory company and a member of the S&P 500. We equip business leaders with indispensable insights, advice and tools to achieve their mission-critical priorities today and build the successful organisations of tomorrow. Our unmatched combination of expert-led, practitioner-sourced and data-driven research steers clients toward the right decisions on the issues that matter most. We are a trusted advisor and an objective resource for more than 14,000 enterprises in more than one

1. https://www.gartner.com/en/customerservice-support 2. https://www.gartner.com/en/informationtechnology/glossary/voice-of-the-customervoc 3. https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/ how-proactive-customer-service-willtransform-customer-experience/ 4. https://www.gartner.com/account/signin?met hod=initialize&TARGET=http%253A%252F% 252Fwww.gartner.com%252Fdocument%252 F3995900%253Fref%253DsolrAll%2526refv al%253D275538843 5. https://www.gartner.com/en/customerservice-support/role/customer-service-leader

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Cable, components and critical space exploration ABB provides Ty-Rap™ cable ties for NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission.

s NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover begins exploring its new planetary home after landing on 18 February 2021, it’s operating with the world’s most advanced technology while being equipped with Ty-Rap™ cable ties from ABB, the same ties that are widely used on Earth. Found in buildings, subways, the deepest oceans and outer space, ABB’s Ty-Rap™ cable ties are designed to withstand the demands of space flight and resist corrosion and radiation in the most extreme environments. NASA has integrated the same Ty-Rap™ cable ties, which are used in commercial applications worldwide, to fasten the rover’s interior and exterior conduit and components and to secure research and lab equipment. “Similar to how standard cable ties are a practical solution for use around the home to organise everything from indoor cords to outdoor lights, high-performance Ty-Rap™ cable ties connect and secure the rover’s wires and equipment,” said Matthias Heilmann, President of ABB Installation Products. “For nearly fifty years, these Ty-Rap™ cable ties have performed in the most intense conditions on earth and protected components from high impact elements and radical temperature changes

in previous space expeditions.” The business, known today as ABB Installation Products, has provided products to the space program since 1973, and Ty-Rap™ cable ties are in continued use on the still-active NASA Curiosity rover and were previously used on the twin Spirit and Opportunity rovers. Originally patented in 1958, standard Ty-Rap™ cable ties became known for their Grip of Steel™ locking device in business and household use. Since then, nearly 30 billion Ty-Rap™ cable ties have been produced – laid end-to-end, enough to stretch to the Moon and back more than a dozen times. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The mission addresses high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, including key questions about the potential for life on Mars. ABB has a long-standing relationship with NASA that began more than 30 years ago with optical sensor contributions to support experiments on the space shuttle. In November 2020, the company announced a contract for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will see key technology from ABB and its partner Nüvü Camēras fly onboard the space telescope in

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

2025, on course to capture the first spaceborne images of planets outside our solar system. ABB is also a key supplier to the JPSS U.S. weather satellite series under NASA procurement. These weather satellites are critical pieces of hardware for operational or flagship U.S. space missions. Part of its Electrification business area, ABB Installation Products Division, formerly Thomas & Betts, is a global leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of products used to manage the connection, protection and distribution of electrical power in industrial, construction and utility applications. With more than 200 000 products under more than 38 premium brand names, ABB Installation Products solutions can be found wherever electricity is used. ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a technology leader that is driving the digital transformation of industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB has four customer-focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics and Discrete Automation, supported by the ABB Ability™ digital platform. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 144 000 employees. www.abb.com

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ON THE MARKET

agility to change and customise the power supplies to customers’ requirements and even bring the customer’s own branding onto the supply where sufficient volumes are ordered. “This type of arrangement is only possible as a result of our longstanding relationships with suppliers in the East, following dozens of visits and a good understanding of the business culture. As a result, our manufacturing partners work with us to manufacture products that are as good, or better than locally available equivalents,” says Greg. Various power supplies and uninterruptible power supplies from GSS Group

Local certification He adds that GSS Group power supplies carry SANS IEC 60950, LOA and NRCS certification both AC and DC power supplies and DC UPS, as well as meeting SANS /IEC 61558 certification for its range of linear transformers. The products also incorporate EMI filtering and meet EMC standards. These standards are required for effective use in IOT devices, electronics and security applications, which include intrusion, CCTV, access control and automation. The power supplies have subsequently also found favour in the electrical and alternate energy industries or wherever power supplies are required.

GSS power supplies

ocally developed power supply Critical equipment including security devices and other electronics can now be operated with locally developed power supplies that have been specially designed to function on the local power grid and have built-in features to make it more robust than standard equipment. GSS Group director, Greg Pritchard, says more than 30 years spent in the security and electronics industries has given the team the best possible understanding of local operating challenges. This has allowed them to develop power supplies that are designed to handle all of South Africa’s extremes, including load shedding, brown-outs and even has circuitry that is better able to deal with the highveld’s well-known lightning storms. Designed and developed by GSS Group, the power supplies are manufactured in a quality-controlled manufacturing plant in China which allows the costs of the high-quality componentry to be

securityfocusafrica.com

The range includes: Desktop • 5V 4amp • 12V 1-8amp

incorporated at more affordable prices for the local market. As a result, several of the country’s large security and electronic distributors have already switched to the local brand of power supplies with success. Manufacturing expertise “During my time in the industry I have worked for some of the largest electronic security equipment suppliers and gained decades of experience and long relationships with manufacturers in the East. By setting up our manufacturing operation alongside a large-scale electronics equipment manufacturer we get to enjoy better pricing as a result of the large volumes of components purchased by the manufacturer monthly. “The enclosures are also specially designed for tough African conditions and where possible incorporates innovations that can protect and even avoid damage where batteries may be used or in the event of short-circuits etc. By maintaining strict control of the process, we have the

Aluminium casing • 12V 3-40amp in 12V • 24V 5-10amp Power distribution • 12V 4 output 5amp • 12V 5 output 10amp • 12V 6 output 6amp • 12V 9 output 10amp • 12V 18 output 20amp • Battery backup for a 4-way and 9-way power distribution box DC UPS range • Metal enclosure with key lock in - 4amp for a 7ah backup - 6.5amp for an 18ah backup • Plastic enclosure battery leak protection - 3.2amp 12V GSS Group Greg Pritchard Tel: (010) 140 7137 Email: greg@gssgroup.co.za Web: www.gssgroup.co.za

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

CYBER ISS TODAY SECURITY

South Africa’s deadly mix of explosives, extortion and organised crime The use of terrorist tactics by criminals highlights the urgency of dealing with smuggled explosives. By Richard Chelin, Researcher and Willem Els, Senior Training Coordinator, ENACT, ISS Pretoria. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/south-africas-deadly-mix-of-explosives-extortion-and-organised-crime Article first published by ISS TODAY.

n 30 January, armed robbers in Cape Town hijacked two members of a maintenance team loading automated teller machines (ATMs). They strapped a makeshift explosive device to one of the victims1 and forced him to open various ATMs in order to steal the cash. The victim was later released next to a highway. The device comprised blasting cartridges similar to those smuggled across South Africa’s borders by organised crime syndicates. Members of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Cape Town Explosives Section, specialising in

hazardous device incidents, defused the device and freed2 the victim, unharmed. The illegal smuggling of explosives in South Africa is a disaster3 waiting to happen. Explosives are brought into the country, predominantly from Zimbabwe, and often by unsuspecting victims, and then find their way into the hands of organised criminals. The explosives are used to bomb ATMs, rob cash-in-transit vehicles, and in illegal mining operations. The incident in Cape Town displays

In the Cape Town case, illegal explosives were used to maximise profits with minimum personal risk worrying tactics not used before by criminals in South Africa. Similar methods have however been reported over the past two decades in other parts of the world. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist group has often used the method. In 2000, FARC members strapped an explosive device around the neck of a woman not adhering to their

extortion campaign against the local population. The bomb disposal technician who tried to render the device safe activated the bomb while defusing it, killing himself and the victim. This incident was followed by another attempt by the same group targeting a farmer unwilling to pay extortion money. As with any new tactics employed by criminals, other organised crime groups in Colombia quickly began adopting these techniques.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

In 2003, a pizza delivery man in Pennsylvania entered a bank with a similar5 device fitted around his neck and a note demanding US$250 000. He was stopped by police and the bomb squad was called. He told the police that a gang had strapped the device to his body and handed him the note to rob the bank. The device was remotely detonated three

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Police currently use an outdated explosives law passed in 1956 and regulations passed in 1972 minutes before the arrival of the bomb squad, killing the man. In 2011, a similar device was tied around the neck of an 18-year-old Australian woman by an intruder in her house, who also left an extortion note. It took bomb technicians more than 10 hours to successfully defuse the bomb, which turned out to be a hoax. The use of terror tactics by organised criminals is not a new phenomenon globally. Organised criminal networks share similarities with terrorists in that their methods are always evolving and adapting to law enforcement responses. Unlike terrorists, however, organised criminals’ ultimate aim is to maximise profits and reduce risks, rather than to draw attention to themselves. In South Africa, tying an explosive device to the body of a victim is a new modus operandi. This shows that organised crime syndicates are willing to go to extreme measures by using stolen explosives to reach their goals. And it highlights the dangers that smuggled explosives play in the arsenal of organised criminals who are constantly adapting to responses by the police, the banking sector and the private security industry. In the Cape Town incident, criminal syndicates used illegal explosives to achieve their goal of maximising profits with minimum risk to themselves. Ordinarily these offenders would use explosives to blow up an ATM, placing themselves and the public at risk. Here they showed not only a new modus operandi, likely to be copied by others, but also something more directly aimed at human targets, and therefore potentially far deadlier. A senior organised crime investigator who requested anonymity expressed his concern that explosives were now being used by syndicates as a tool of extortion. This tactic mirrors those used by suspected terrorist cells in KwaZulu-Natal province in recent years. In 2018, one such cell, linked to the Islamic State, targeted various Woolworths, Spar and other outlets, as well as the Durban July horse race, in an elaborate extortion scheme with

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strategically placed improvised explosive devices. Members of the so-called Hoomer cell were arrested and put on trial6 where it emerged that their aim was to raise money for their terrorist activities. The ease with which these criminals can obtain explosives underscores the need to urgently address the problem of smuggled explosives. But capacity and resource constraints undermine the police’s ability to act. The lack of

problem. Police currently use an outdated law passed in 1956 and regulations passed in 1972 that don’t have mandatory obligations regarding tracking and tracing of explosives. This means that legal consumers can evade prosecution whenever explosives are lost or stolen. Joint investigation task teams are needed to allow for inter-departmental intelligence sharing and collaborative operations. Detectives and prosecutors need the equipment and training to deal with explosives cases as there is little understanding of this specialised field. And unless the effective regulation of explosives is taken seriously, law enforcement will always find itself a step behind organised criminals.

Until explosives are better regulated, police will always be a step behind organised criminals intelligence sharing and collaboration among SAPS and other border control officials, among others, is also an issue. A senior police commander in the police’s Explosives Section, who also requested anonymity, said, “Serious cuts in budgets for training and critical resources such as explosive consumables severely constrain the SAPS Explosives Section from performing essential tasks.” He also said staff hadn’t received refresher courses for three years. The delay in implementing the Explosives Act (Act 15 of 2003) and its supporting regulations is an even bigger

1. https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/ sbv-working-closely-with-cops-after-cit-guardkidnapped-strapped-with-explosives13828924-6309-42b4-a3c4-a662e8c4921e 2. https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/southafrica/2021-01-30-bomb-squad-frees-cashguard-with-explosive-device-strapped-tobody/ 3. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/explosivessmuggling-south-africas-ticking-time-bomb 4. https://www.wired.com/2010/12/ff-collarbomb/ 5. https://www.wired.com/2010/12/ff-collarbomb/ 6. https://www.iol.co.za/ios/news/extortion-notterror-behind-the-incendiary-devices-plaguingdurban-16166089

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA FEBRUARY 2021

VACCINE NEWS ROLLOUT

Vaccination reviewed In the last article written, “Vaccination in 2021”, reference was made to the envisaged roll out of a vaccination program with the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize indicating that, to achieve herd or population immunity, it would be necessary to immunise some 31,000 people per day to reach the target of vaccinating 67% of the population within deadline. By Peter Bagshawe

n round figures, achieving herd immunity would mean immunising some 40 million people. In early January 2021 figures presented to Parliament were that it was planned to draw vaccine stocks from multiple manufacturers being Moderna (5%), Pfizer (5%), 70% from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson (20%). The various vaccines hold costing differentials, varying storage requirements and dosing. Logistically, the most challenging of the vaccines are the Moderna and Pfizer products that require storage at substantial below zero, which needs sophisticated storage and transport facilities. In the interim, the Ministry of Health proceeded with putting in place a vaccination registration system for

healthcare workers which has been extended to include traditional healers, kitchen, cleaning and housekeeping staff in hospitals as well as medical students having been identified as included in the Phase 1 roll out. This has increased the number of Phase 1 staff above the initially indicated 1,250,000 front line workers. The Department of Health considers their registration portal the beginning of a complete vaccination information system, from registration to certification and, as it levers off existing digital infrastructure, it should be robust and stable. The first 1,000,000 units of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in South Africa from the Serum Institute of India on 1 February 2021, with a further 500,000 units expected to land in South Africa within the month. In the interim it has

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become apparent that the serum stock delivered has an April expiry date and the South African Government has initiated talks with the Serum Institute of India to investigate the possibility of exchanging at least a large proportion of the serum. This has obviously given political capital to opposition parties and trade unions, one of which is calling for investigation into the sourcing of vaccine from Russia and Cuba. Mathematically, and using an assumption of a 60 day cycle being available from the use of the initial Serum Institute delivery, South Africa would need to administer in excess of 166,000 vaccinations per day. The initial projected number of doses per day given by the Minister of Health was 31,000. This represents 19% of the approximated total needed to be given before the expiry date of the serum.

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VACCINE NEWS ROLLOUT

Logistically this is not possible. The emergence of the 501.V2 variant, also known as the South African Covid-19 variant, led to early uncertainty around the efficacy of vaccines against the new strain. The the need for further testing was highlighted by local immunologists prior to delivery of vaccination units from India and, as detailed in recent research, it has been reported that AstraZeneca program has indicated that their vaccine only afforded limited protection against mild disease caused by the 501.V2 variant. The variants that are of primary concern worldwide are the so-called South African, Brazilian and British variants that appear to spread more rapidly than the initial Covid strain. AstraZeneca have undertaken a limited scale investigation using 2,026 subjects of whom half were from the placebo group that indicated limited efficacy (given as 22% efficiency in the research delivered by the University of Witwatersrand) against mild disease primarily due to the B.1.351 South African strain. AstraZeneca have stated that the test group were largely young and healthy adults, none of whom were hospitalised or died and that, in conjunction with Oxford University, have started adapting the vaccine against the 501.V2 variant with projected delivery of this in the third quarter of 2021. Against this background, Professor Shabir Madhi, Dean of Health Sciences at Wits University, has confirmed that the AstraZeneca vaccine provides minimal protection against mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms from the 501.V2 variant. Following from this, Minister Mkhize announced that the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which had been scheduled to begin in February, was now

on temporary hold. Healthcare workers will, going forward, be vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson (which only requires one dose) and Pfizer vaccines in order to provide protection to front line and associated workers while the use or disposition of the AstraZeneca vaccinations is considered. This is an obvious setback and, again, political capital has been made from the delay in the program. The World Health Organisation has expressed confidence that the composition of the antigens in the AstraZeneca vaccine can be rapidly changed to be more effective. Going forward there is a debate on whether the AstraZeneca vaccinations (which requires two doses) should be used to vaccinate the older or those with comorbidities, in the interim, while decisions are made by the Health Portfolio Committee. Dr Glenda Gray, CEO of and president of the South African Medical Research Council and chair of the Research Sub-Committee of the Ministerial Advisory Committee referred to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as being a potential “silver bullet” given the change in stance on the AstraZeneca serum. At the time of writing, an emergency application is in process through the South African Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority to enable the emergency use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, targeting healthcare workers. On 10 February, Minister Mkhize has confirmed that ratification of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine program has been requested from parliament and expedited delivery of the shipment was in progress. From here it becomes a timing problem that will need careful management. A further factor to consider is the

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position that can be taken by employers, once the vaccination program has gone forward sufficiently, for a return to work to be permitted by Government. President Ramaphosa has already announced that vaccination will not take place against any person’s will while, reinforcing this, Section 12(2) of the South African Constitution provides “everyone has the right to bodily and psychological integrity, which includes the right to security in and control over their body.” The only example of compulsory inoculations that exist locally is in the case of yellow fever required for international travel. Employers should now start to consider the options available for putting in place a workplace document on their requirements for inoculation and, more particularly, in light of the fact that employees’ rights cannot be infringed. There is an anti-vaccine grouping that has been in place in South Africa for a period of time that has been vocal. Given the lack of clarity around the various vaccine products, the speed with which these were prepared and approved, uncertainty certainly already exists locally and internationally. The prospect of a third wave – of minimising or avoiding the third wave – and the necessity of stabilising the economy has been debated openly in South Africa and internationally. The South African vaccination program is central to both of these and further delays in the roll out of the program cannot be countenanced by the government. PETER BAGSHAWE holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the former University of Rhodesia and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.

February 2021

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Security Focus Africa February 2021 Vol 39 No 2

Articles inside

ISS TODAY

CRIME OVERVIEW

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VACCINATION ROLLOUT

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