KIDNAPPING & PERSONAL SECURITY

Kidnapping and personal security

The armed kidnapping of the four young Moti brothers in South Africa in October 2021 hit global headlines. One of the many threats to personal security in a world struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and its fallout, it’s a particularly vile crime that often goes unreported, as does human trafficking and other abuses.

Kidnapping

According to Lizette Lancaster of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), figures for the period April to September 2021 show that there were 4,232 kidnappings, or more than 23 a day on average, in South Africa. In her article, she says that while the kidnappings that most often make the news involve wealthy businesspeople or their family members, those committed for the purposes of extortion or ransom contribute to less than five percent, according to police statistics. The figure may be higher though, she adds, since many cases aren’t reported, due to threats made by the perpetrators, noting that ‘some criminal groups specialise in kidnapping for ransom as it’s perceived as a relatively low-risk, high-reward endeavour’.

“The increase in national and transnational syndicates in South Africa poses various security threats, including the potential for more kidnappings,” she warns. “Organised crime groups may commit the crime because their members include highly skilled people willing to engage in violence. Syndicates also have firearms, vehicles, and extensive networks for moving illicit goods. Kidnappings are also rising across the country’s borders, for example, in Mozambique, and are spilling over into South Africa.”

South Africa’s personal security threat landscape has changed significantly over the years, says David de Lima, Managing Director of 24/7 Security Services. “The hard lockdown period of Covid-19 was followed by a spike in incidents, and we are seeing this trend continue into 2022, partly as a result of the social-economic climate.”

“Contact crimes, and specifically kidnappings, have always been around,” he continues, but the increased media exposure of high-profile cases has placed a spotlight on kidnapping recently. “We believe that the statistics around kidnappings may not be a true reflection of the current situation since many people don’t report attempted and actual kidnappings — they would rather pay a ransom and hope for the quick and safe release of victims. Further, a large number of kidnappings involve organised crime syndicates and are motivated by political and financial factors, which is not really an accurate reflection of the general population’s personal safety environment.”

Human trafficking

In its report The Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Trafficking in Persons, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says that the pandemic has brought immense challenges to the anti-trafficking field. “Capitalising on people’s loss of livelihoods during the pandemic and the increasing amount of time both adults and children were spending on the Internet, traffickers utilise social media and other online platforms to recruit new victims. Thirty-seven percent of stakeholder survey respondents reported that the recruitment of victims has moved online during the pandemic. Traffickers have responded to the closure of bars, clubs, and massage parlours (due to lockdowns, curfews, and other measures to control the spread of Covid-19) by moving the sexual exploitation of adults and children to private homes and apartments. In some countries, traffickers have also capitalised on social distancing measures to transport victims across national borders, knowing that law enforcement have, at times, been unable to carefully inspect vehicles,” it says.

The report goes on to recommend a number of ways that countries can strengthen their anti-trafficking responses. These include:

• Monitoring the effect of Covid-19 mitigating measures on people and particularly the vulnerable i.e. children and migrants;

• Monitoring shifts in the modus operandi of traffickers, migration dynamics and heightened vulnerabilities of certain groups;

• Implementing UN recommendations to collect, analyse and publish relevant data on human trafficking cases;

• Publishing official messages that exempt victims of trafficking, genderbased or intimate partner violence, from Covid-19 movement restrictions when seeking help or reporting incidents to the police;

• Developing plans and strategies for frontline organisations around the division of anti-trafficking roles and responsibilities;

• Creating contingency plans that ensure the availability of a minimum package of services to victims (protection, investigation, and judicial proceedings);

• Strengthening national legal frameworks to ensure that countries have ‘robust’ legislation in place to address all forms of trafficking, including online child sexual exploitation and other forms of online recruitment, and that relevant authorities are trained in the scope and practical application of the legislation, particularly regarding collecting and securing digital evidence;

• Developing effective prevention activities by widely disseminating information about human trafficking via TV, hotlines, and social media;

• Setting up mobile investigation teams with full personal protection equipment (PPE);

• Strengthening protection measures for trafficking victims by ensuring that shelters take into consideration language and literacy needs, and provide access to psychosocial support, legal aid, and education;

• Strengthening e-justice mechanisms with technology to allow access by victims, witnesses, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, court staff and interpreters;

• Setting aside adequate budgets for extra law enforcement and judicial resources such as e-justice mechanisms, night courts, and mobile investigation units as well as extra protection and reintegration resources including hotline staff, legal aid, psychosocial therapists, emergency food aid, health care needs and cash transfers.

Covid-19 — weapon of mass destruction

Another grave threat to 2022 personal security is Covid-19, “the most damaging weapon of mass distraction in modern history,” maintains Benedict Weaver of Zero Foundation Africa. “Distraction (not destruction) is what makes the disease so effective and unique. Everyone’s focus has been on the virus with relatively little attention given to rises in cybercrime, IP theft, online radicalisation of insurgents, eco-terrorism, hostile surveillance and a range of other threats that have not been recognised or addressed because of Covid.”

“Apart from the nearly six million deaths in the past two years, governments’ responses have negatively impacted all economic sectors, except personal protection equipment (PPE) and vaccine production,” he says. “Given governments’ decision to lockdown populations, suspend international travel and impose curfews, the socioeconomic landscapes of all countries have been affected. This is especially true for South Africa with its shrinking tax base, expanding population and political unrest — it’s a ‘perfect storm’ that has changed the personal security threat landscape and revealed a range of new risks.”

The South African government’s response to the pandemic adversely affected most businesses and the livelihood of many workers, he continues. “Precisely because many workers live just one missed paycheck away from poverty, the financial impact of lockdowns and curfews have affected all social classes. And, while the lockdowns might have initially prompted a decline in property crimes, they also expanded the number of laws that could be broken. Examples are the more than 400,000 arrests for offenses for violating curfew and contravening gathering rules, an increase in gender-based violence and the growing number of sexually motivated kidnappings involving young children.

The pandemic has provided opportunities for the criminally-inclined that might not have existed beforehand, he believes. “In other words, the psychological impact of the pandemic created a change in both behaviour and motive, which has resulted in a greater risk to one’s personal safety and security. Future historians and criminologists will debate the reasons for the initial decline and the subsequent increase in criminal activity during the pandemic. However, current evidence shows that organised crime (OC) actually leveraged the situation, and was characterised by a desperate demand for contraband cigarettes and liquor, increased social anxiety and a reliance on digital solutions. The shift in behaviour towards online transactions and the trend towards working from home, meant that compliance with workplace cybersecurity protocols was suspended. Information, whether commercially sensitive or financial, was easier to access and be manipulated, hence the number of fraud schemes, online scams and identity thefts.”

Solutions

The best rule of thumb is to develop a security plan around the four Ds, believes Benedict Weaver. “Deter, Detect, Delay and Deny. You could go further with another D — as in Destroy,” he adds, “but this is possibly too hardcore for most suburban households.”

David de Lima advocates the employ of close protection officers (CPOs) for company executives, dignitaries, celebrities, and others who are vulnerable to crimes such as kidnapping for ransom. He also recommends armed escorts for people travelling in high-risk areas and businesses transporting route-to-market goods, business stand-off services during opening and closing times to ensure staff’s safe arrival and departure, and specially trained guards for school and campus security. “In order to ensure safe environments for learners, teachers, and parents, guarding staff need to be specially trained in school and campus security and supported by armed reaction and K9 units, with ongoing, high visibility patrols.”

Add to this technology — his company recommends the use of the 24/7 ePOD (a mobile panic device with two-way communication functionality) and the 24/7 App (which has a built-in panic button) for clients who want to improve their personal safety.

“We encourage people to be 100 percent alert of their environment at all times, but often they don’t pay attention to details or are easily distracted when out in public,” he says.

His recommendations for improving personal security, regardless of people’s wealth or status, include:

• When travelling, be observant of your surroundings and of vehicles that could be following you. Stay off your cell phone – not only does it distract you, but it makes you an easy target for criminals. Likewise, keep valuable jewellery, watches, and electronic devices out of sight.

• In addition to being mindful, we must all be aware of the information we share and manage the flow of personal information. Criminals are always on the lookout for information that they can use to their advantage.

• Immediately report suspicious people, vehicles and activities to your security company or the police. Follow your gut feel — it is usually right.

• Families need to talk about security — not to instil fear but to raise awareness about their personal safety. They need to put action plans in place, and scenario-based training will prepare the whole family should they be confronted with a threatening situation. Emergency contact numbers must be readily available to everybody in the home, including staff. Contact details must include their security company, SAPS (South African Police Service), fire and rescue services, ambulance etc. “A home forms the centre of a person or family’s security circle,” concludes De Lima. “The layered circle needs to be in place to provide a haven. The circle starts with panic buttons inside the house and flows outwards with alarms, CCTV cameras, outdoor lights, perimeter beams, electric fences and finally, gates and perimeter safety.”

Contributors:

ISS Africa: https://issafrica.org/iss-today/who-getskidnapped-in-south-africa

24/7 Security Services: https://24-7security.co.za/

Benedict Weaver / Zero Foundation: https://www.zerofoundationafrica. com/

UNODC: https://www.unodc.org/

The importance of H.E.A.T. training for employee travellers

By Benedict Weaver / Zero Foundation Africa.

A survivor is defined as ‘a person who copes well with difficulties in their life’. Anyone reading this article can relate to that definition, even if the types of difficulties we have personally faced are not the same as each other’s.

Alison Clarke had stepped outside of a Cape Town night club to get some fresh air before going back inside. A man approached her and suddenly started touching her inappropriately. She could have panicked, frozen in place, and become a victim but instead, remembering her training, she did what is known as the ‘Trident’ — and it saved her life. The best part of the Trident is that it is a simple self-defence technique anyone can master.

Scott O’Grady was flying a peacekeeping mission over Bosnia in June 1995. His F16 jet was hit by a missile and he ejected. On landing, he grabbed his bail-out bag and survived for a week behind enemy lines. The contents of that bail-out bag saved him until he was rescued by US Marines.

The two examples above are from different scenarios, but both reflect difficulties handled well, under pressure.

Every employer has a Duty of Care (DoC) responsibility to its staff and contractors working on the company premises. However, this responsibility extends beyond the physical workplace when staff travel abroad on company business. Then, your staff represent the ethos and business practices of your company. If their travel experience could expose them to the risk of loss of life, liberty, or limb, then their employer must ensure that the corporate traveller has the necessary skillset to avoid preventable death, detention or bodily damage.

Such a skillset is taught during hostile environment awareness training (HEAT) courses – which are available in South Africa – which equip employees with the ability to operate effectively when seemingly benign situations turn hostile.

The benefits of a two-day H.E.A.T. course:

It will provide details of their company’s corporate travel security policy and procedures. (If your company doesn’t have a policy, one needs to be developed before the pandemic ends and travel resumes.)

It will showcase the pre-planning that needs to be carried out before staff leave their home country: key areas include destination intelligence about the foreign country; meet-and-greet protocols at airports; routes to hotels; local resources for emergency medical situations; and evacuation processes along corridors of safety and emergency communications.

It will introduce the concept of ‘Everyday Carry (EDC)’ — by knowing what kit to carry and how to use it, staff will be more self-reliant and capable of operating with confidence in a hostile environment, which will in turn provide the company with sufficient time to arrange for a controlled and safe evacuation.

It will allow staff to make informed decisions about where to spend their leisure time without exposing themselves or the company to physical, financial, or reputational risk. It will show management how to prepare a debriefing on their return. The nature of this debriefing is to provide management with lessons learned; marketing intelligence about the competition; and identified risks to other employees travelling on business.