MEDICAL RESPONSE TRAINING FOR CLOSE PROTECTION OFFICERS

When providing protective services to clients, the primary objective is protecting that client in every environment and situation. It stands to reason then that providing medical attention when the need arises is as important as any response to physical threat from violent or other criminal behaviour.

In the case of a medical emergency, the first responder is most often the one who makes the difference between life and death. The need for a suitably trained professional who can respond to an immediate life-threatening medical situation with basic first aid or disaster management is critical. Experience plays a crucial role in this as it takes practice to recognise when and what action needs to be taken.

A frequent challenge is that that clients who make use of close protection typically travel frequently. As a result, they may find themselves in locations where the available medical services are sub-standard or where such services are unable to reach them at all within an acceptable time, due to the remoteness of the location, the environment, local traffic or numerous other scenarios. 

Whether dealing with a twisted ankle that occurs on a mountain whilst skiing, insect stings or bites that happen on a safari, a cardiac arrest that happens during a flight, serious injuries caused by extreme weather, violent incidents or accidents, the CPO will likely be first on the scene and should at least be trained and equipped to act as a first responder. Arguably the most critical aspect of successful medical intervention is the response time – the quicker the medical response, the higher the chances of your client’s survival.

Peace of mind 

During our years of experience in assembling Close Protection teams that includes a medic, we almost always get thanked by the clients for doing so. This is  because the ratio of medical incidents that we respond to is around five times greater than the number of security incidents.

In our 20 years of operating, NSA have experienced all of the above, when only the presence of our medically trained staff has saved clients lives as well as those of their staff.  We are therefore in no doubt whatsoever of the value of a medical presence on any operation of project.

This brings to mind an unforgettable incident:

During December of 2002, NSA Global was contracted to provide security services to a global celebrity who was in South Africa fulfilling a wish to distribute Christmas presents and school necessities to rural schoolchildren. In the Transkei one afternoon, most of the gifts had been handed out and most of the kids had gone home, but there were still a few kids and adults left in the huge marquee tent that had been set up as usual along with all of the temporary fencing and queuing lines, as well as the client’s staff.

Someone alerted us all to the huge black clouds approaching as it looked as if a huge storm was coming. And coming fast! As the storm hit, the wind picked up very quickly and became incredibly strong (we believe it was a tornado) and we saw the tent starting to come loose, the team ran the client back to the car and put her inside.

Almost instantly we saw the tent flying around and parts of the fencing lifting and swirling around at head height, together with boxes, tables, chairs etc.  Some of our protection team were trying to keep hold of the fence as it flew around and a lot of the people (clients included) took cover under the trucks, many dragged there by our team.

There were a number of injuries, but most were cuts and bruises.  We had a medical team comprising Advanced Life Support paramedics in a separate vehicle as a part of our team and they immediately set up a triage area and started attending to the injured people, with the help of some of our other team members.

One of the 3m tent-poles that was uprooted by the tornado, swung around and smacked one of the client’s private jet pilots across the back and ribs area. He couldn’t fly home for Christmas, so our client put him up in Joburg while he recuperated, then later moved him to her local educational institution as Ops Director. The injury ended his flying career as he could no longer pass the pilots’ annual medical assessment, but he became an excellent administrator and we worked many more years alongside him as he forged his new career.

There were a couple of other people that needed to be hospitalized and we took them to the nearest hospital but that was a fair distance away and in a remote, rural area.

We have never forgotten the lesson we learned that day: no executive protection team is complete without trained, competent medics as part of it. This is but one of numerous such examples that we can cite.

MEDICAL RESPONSE TRAINING FOR CLOSE PROTECTION OFFICERS

Whilst certain clients do have dedicated paramedics or even doctors as a part of their protection teams, many rely on “cross trained” CPO’s whose primary responsibility is protection, but who also have a high level of medical training and carry the relevant equipment.

All NSA protection staff are trained to a minimum “Level 3” and renew this training annually, in addition, a number of our staff have completed more advanced training in the levels described above.

Such training will always include as a minimum, “Level 3 First Aid”, this level of medical training is valid for a period of two years and needs to be renewed with regular refresher courses, the most important aspects of this training will always include:

Blood Stopper
CPR
The use of an Automated external defibrillator (AED)
*Basic training likely to address the most common threats and traumatic injuries.

The difference between the minimal training and advance medical training

Advance training includes:

1. Level 5, Basic Life Support. This medic can provide basic care including;

• CPR, Adult & Infant
• Wound care, Splinting
• Administer Oxygen
• Administer Oral dextrose

2. Level 6, Intermediate Life Support. This medic can provide the following care;

• Provide the aforementioned care,
• ECG (heart machine), Defibrillation above 12 years,
• Chest decompression with needle. (inserting needle into chest cavity, to drain air)
• Site IV lines and fluid therapy,
• Administer IV dextrose and certain inhalants for asthmatics.

3. Level 7/8, B-Tec: Advanced Life Support Paramedics. Can provide the following;

• Provide the aforementioned procedures.
• Cardiac Pacing & Cardio-version.
• Approximately 30 drugs on the protocol including; Adrenaline, Valium and Morphine.
• Advanced airway management such as; surgical cricothyrotomy (cutting the throat open) and Intubations (inserting tube into airway)

These are the only three pre-hospital levels of care that are recognized by the HPCSA.

Capabilities of Close Protection Officers with advanced medical training

The term “Paramedic” is a very general term that refers to:

“A specialist healthcare professional who responds to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics mainly work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), most often in ambulances. The scope of practice of a paramedic varies among countries, but generally includes autonomous decision making around the emergency care of patients”

This includes:

Basic Live Support Practitioner
Intermediate life support Practitioner
Advance life support Practitioner

Advance medical training will enable CPO personnel to immediately deploy advance medical protocols, equipment and scheduled medication similar to that of a Paramedic thus increasing the life expectancy of a patient.

Medical response equipment – The importance of a well-equipped medical kit to the CPO’s output in a medical emergency

A well-equipped and readily accessible medical kit that corresponds with the practitioner’s skillset is of vital importance for immediate application. Contrary to popular belief, the improvisation of basic medical equipment is not viable, due to the ineffectiveness as well as the time it takes to improvise this equipment when minutes count.

Non-negotiable items that are ‘must haves’ in any medical kit will include:

1. Personal Protection equipment (PPE)
2. Combat application Tourniquet
3. Compression Bandages to stop haemorrhage
4. Chest Seal occlusive dressing for penetrating chest injuries
5. Equipment to guard against Hypothermia
6. Equipment to treat basic burn injuries

NSA has for over 5 years, provided dedicated medical staff and equipment to a number of our valued clients, on both long-term and ad-hoc projects as required internationally.
We now proudly offer, the largest private and event medical service in South Africa offering a professional service and an operational proven track record. NSA Global Security Consultants has the ability and capacity to permanently deploy paramedics to clients or to include a paramedic in protection teams assigned to temporary assignments into high-risk or remote locations.

More info here

The importance of medical training for Close Protection Officers – Protective and proactive first response medical care for clients.

The importance of medical training for Close Protection Officers – Protective and proactive first response medical care for clients.: When providing protective services to clients, the primary objective is protecting that client in every environment and situation. It stands to reason then that providing medical attention when the need arises is as important as any response to physical threat from violent or other criminal behaviour. In the case of a medical emergency, the first […]

Some of the standards need to be met by way of the armed security protect like

Most of the issues in the society are performed through sources of guns, in recent times the rulers of society are neither the politicians nor the leaders, but it is the deadly guns. These guns are killing lots of humans, and striving many with out a penny.

To rule towards those guns we need an navy – a society of army, with armed weapons. These armed security services have grow to be, very critical for the nicely being of society; during the last years the crime rate has expanded extensively, so high that the want for armed security forces or personals has turn out to be ought to for most of the businesses.

For this armed guys the schooling and additionally the amount paid must be high, as it’s their lives which might be saved in front and fought with the criminals.

These services of armed men are required in non public regions, in evaluation to public areas; the areas consist of government leased homes, authorities cloth, federal institutes, as those establishments are taken into consideration as the countries treasures, excessive measures must be taken to prevent any losses from numerous sources like terrorists.

Some of the standards need to be met by way of the armed security protect like

· Protection of men and women and properties from damage or robbery.

· Observing and detecting the folks who can do sinful acts or who aren’t legal to enter the premises of restrained regions

· Some instances they need to also carry out patrolling at the streets

· They must have the feature of alarm, and group work whilst a worse conditions happens

Eligibility

· Most of the agencies appearance out for stout and robust guards, who’re capable of face mass strain and also pretty intelligent and rapid in acting to a worse situation.

· The candidate ought to be of more than 18 years and he must follow up a training session for duration of greater than eight hrs and must perform properly within the very last end result.

· He need to be a citizen of USA or UK and he ought to be having clean background.

· There is likewise a sixteen hr eligibility take a look at some instances so that you can make out efficient guys, this type of assessments are finished for black cats.

Who presents schooling to a majority of these men?

There are many groups and institutes, which gather all of the human beings, supply those efficient approach of training and boom their overall performance.

Such armed education institutes offer better stout personals and additionally who’re proper in all the things. Such men appearance out cool and might address even the more serious situations.

The first-class management may be very vital for any corporation so the provider companies keep accurate nice of those people whom they teach. They test out each and each minute element of the citizens, train them well and lead them to royals of their variety. Thus sooner or later they provide out the gold from the mined ore. These gold guys are pretty green in phrases of utilization or hands and also can shield in opposition to ill and worse conditions with efficiency.

https://www.nsa-global.com

Mala Reddy

NSA Global Security Consultant
Fax: 0829586175, +27 0114624134

Many Johannesburg security company provide 24 hour surveillance

Like maximum large metropolitan areas for the duration of North America Toronto has a giant amount of crime. While police records are reporting a decline within the Toronto crime fee many South Africa politicians had been quoted as pronouncing the quantity of crime that goes unreported in Johannesburg and other elements of South Africa is growing. In addition the quantity of crime committed by means of young people is rising, a startling statistic that foreshadows growing crime quotes inside the destiny. To combat the presence of crime in Johannesburg, there are many protection organizations set up to help preserve your property or your commercial enterprise safe. When purchasing for a security service provider company to meet your desires it’s far critical to check the business enterprise’s revel in, history in addition to the type of equipment they create and how they installation and reveal it.

Purchasing a security system is a big investment and to make sure you get your cash’s well worth it’s miles crucial to do research earlier than you are making the purchase. There are a incredible quantity of security company based totally in Johannesburg, so the selection can sometimes be overwhelming. When evaluating those agencies it’s miles vital to pay attention to how lengthy the organisation has been in existence. The longer a employer has been working the greater credibility they have got; sturdiness in any business is a great signal. It is also wise to peer who the company’s clients are. Many security companies will listing their clients on their website and a few will even submit written or video testimonials in their customers speakme at the organization’s behalf. This is an top notch way to gauge how a company is perceived by its customers. It is likewise a terrific concept to see if the corporation certainly has an workplace in Johannesburg. This is critical with regards to guide after you’ve got made the acquisition. A good understanding of the Toronto network is crucial for a security business enterprise to have with the intention to make the suggestions for protection equipment that is first-rate to your vicinity of the city.

When choosing the South Africa Security Company that is good for you it’s miles vital to test out the device the company sells and perhaps more importantly how they screen it. When purchasing you will be aware which you have a wide variety of choices, you should buy everything from protection alarm systems, to video surveillance system, to bars for windows and even non-public safety guards. It may be overwhelming while looking to figure out what safety options high-quality suit your desires. It may be beneficial for you to speak to a Johannesburg security company income agent who can walk you via the various functions and features of the to be had security device. Ask them about the styles of crime you ought to protect towards for your pocket of the city. It is likewise crucial to learn how the gadget may be established.

Learning approximately the diverse security gadget options is handiest the first step in deciding on a Toronto security business enterprise so as to meet your desires. The 2nd step is studying how every company video display units the security gadget as soon as it is hooked up. Many Johannesburg security company provide 24 hour surveillance of their safety device. This surveillance deters criminal pastime and creates a sense of safety. In the case of a break-inside the tracking station will maintain touch with you until help arrives. Having a safety system that is sponsored up through a monitoring station is like having a virtual safety shield looking over your commercial enterprise or home. Make certain that the monitoring station is simply based totally in Johannesburg. Many groups will outsource their monitoring stations to different parts of North America.

If you stay or paintings in Johannesburg chances are you require some type of safety machine to provide you with peace of thoughts. Toronto is a city made from 5.Five million human beings and endless houses and groups. The crime you need to shield against varies greatly deepening on if you stay in North York or the Entertainment District. When deciding on the security corporation that is quality for you make certain you examine each one based totally on the ideas stated in this newsletter. Putting in studies up the front can prevent many complications down the street.

For more information please visit https://www.Nsa-global.Com

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In 2005 we were appointed as consultants to the Security Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup

The achievements of an organisation are a result of the coming together of many individuals, who over the years, contributed to the success of the company.

2019 marks 20 years, that we at NSA Global Security Consultants have been forging relationships and protecting lives all around the world. Along the way, we have been privileged to work with many memorable and iconic individuals, corporations, organisations and events. It has indeed been an incredible experience and journey.

To commemorate this special year, we look back at our phenomenal journey since the beginning and some of the notable milestones in our company’s history.

Founded in 1999 as Nicholls Steyn and Associates, after the acquisition of the company P3 Consultants by our founding partners Bob Nicholls and Rory Steyn, NSA Global has grown into a strong global operation over the past two decades.

The United Cricket Board of SA was to become our first ‘sporting’ client when Rory Steyn was appointed in 1999 by then MD Dr Ali Bacher, as the UCBSA’s first security consultant, to prepare for the ICC Cricket World Cup, 2003 hosted in South Africa. Our role also included the protection of the Proteas team and of all international cricket teams and match officials visiting South Africa, which continues to this day.

ICC Cricket

ICC Cricket World Cup 2003

Rory went on to become personally involved in the establishment of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ICC ACU) under Lord Paul Condon.

In 2000, we signed on Boeing and Coca-Cola as new clients, a formidable accomplishment for a relatively new company. One of our initial projects with Coca-Cola was to plan and manage the security of a high-level conference to Europe, on board The Silver Whisper, a luxury cruise-liner, where both of our directors ensured the safety of a high-profile passenger list, including the likes of Nelson Mandela (together with the Presidential Protection Unit), Diana Ross, Sugar Ray Leonard and the then Coca-Cola President and CEO.

During the early 2000s, pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer became a new client and over the next 10 years we worked with them on multiple, regular trips to Africa.

In 2002 we were privileged to be appointed to manage the security of the ‘Christmas Kindness’ project in South Africa.  This assignment involved months of planning to ensure that Christmas gifts could be delivered to 50 000 schoolchildren and orphans in Soweto, then remote areas of Kwa-Zulu/Natal province and Umtata in the Eastern Cape. This was truly a project that every person involved in, will never forget; where we literally witnessed big, burly, grown men cry.

2003 marked a historic change in our company’s management when Jaishankar Ramchandran, joined NSA as a shareholder and financial director. Jai brought with him  more than 30 years of experience in international strategy and financial management, thus complementing the company’s positioning and offering.

In 2003 we also made our first of a number of trips to Pakistan to conduct security assessments for a proposed Proteas cricket tour there, the first cricket tour to that region post the Second Gulf War, and we then provided security to escort the team during the tour.

In 2005 we were appointed as consultants to the Security Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup, West Indies, in association with Rushmans making six visits to the West Indies for the planning of ICC CWC 2007.

2005 also saw us working with the first Basketball Without Borders event with the NBA, which set the stage for continued relationship with the NBA to date.

In 2006 we were appointed by the ICC to initially conduct assessments and then to deploy experienced staff to oversee the security of all teams involved in the ICC Champions trophy tournament in India.

Our directors Bob Nicholls and Rory Steyn also travelled to Hollywood for the first time in 2006, having been appointed as consultants to The Academy Awards, one of the highest profile events in the world. Our role was to provide training to the excellent security staff (mostly off-duty LAPD officers) who secure this event, to work the event with them and then provide an assessment of the security arrangements on completion of the event. Our relationship has continued to this day, with either Bob, Rory or both attending almost every edition of the Oscars since.

Oscars-usa

The Academy Awards

In 2006 NSA Risk Management Services (Pty) Ltd was formed in partnership with Claude Baissac, a former Kroll employee. This division would focus on strategic, geo-political risk together with private investigations and security audits.

Between 2007 and 2011, we were security consultants to the Vodacom Challenge soccer tournament, an event that every year featured matches between Kaiser Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and an English team including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, in different South African cities.

In 2008, we were approached by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) to plan and provide all team security for the brand new Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, which has since become one of the largest sports events in the world. We continued in this role for the next eight years.

During 2008, seven members of NSA under the leadership of Bob Nicholls were responsible for saving approximately 150 guests from the Taj Mahal hotel during the much publicised ‘Mumbai terror attacks’, now known as “26/11”.   This event and our team’s actions received worldwide coverage and recognition at the time and in the months that followed.

Mumbai Attacks

Mumbai terror attacks and the NSA team responsible for saving 150 lives

In 2009, we were again appointed as security consultants to the organising committee of the ICC cricket world cup, held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2010.

Starting at the Summer Olympic Games in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016; the Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010 and PyeongChang 2018; we have provided security consultancy and oversight for our clients Oakley and Coca-Cola SA.

Winter Olympics

In 2010 our home country, South Africa welcomed more than 3 million football fans from around the world for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. NSA was proud to be a huge part of the security details for the event’s Global Partners. We deployed around 400 protection personnel in support of three of FIFA’s Global Partners, viz.: Coca-Cola, Sony and Visa.  It was a huge privilege to be involved with such an iconic event in our own country and the experience of our management team ensured that we were able to address the demands, logistical and organisational challenges in a project of this scale and to provide a safe and memorable experience for all of our clients.

South Africans

FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa

Our success in this event and the experience gained, has resulted in our involvement with these and other clients, including Continental and Adidas in subsequent FIFA tournaments in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.

Also, on home soil, NSA Global provided personal security to Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore at Sun City for the filming of ‘Blended’ a Happy Madison and WB production in 2013.

Between 2008 and 2019, we have provided security consultancy, training and security services to a number of India’s highest profile families and organisations, resulting in the deployment of a number of specialised staff in India, the UK and USA.

During this period we also launched our specialised medical service, resulting in the deployment of a number of highly experienced Paramedics dedicated to our clients.

Due to the ever-increasing demand in India for high quality security services, we took a decision to bring 8 of our India and Nepali staff to South Africa, to spend 2 weeks training with our instructors and learning “The NSA Way”.

We have over this period continued to high level security support to existing and new clients in an ever expanding number of territories.

In 2017, we underwent a name change and a massive brand overhaul. Our old name ‘Nicholls Steyn Associates’ had been over the years a fondly abbreviated to “NSA” by our clients. Motivated by this and our global growth, we decided to officially rename the company as ‘NSA Global’ and to adjust our logo and branding to recognise this.

From the Cricket World Cup to The Oscars to the Summer and Winter Olympics; the numerous individual clients and events that we have worked with, our projects over the years bear testimony to the hard work and dedication of our teams and our culture of customer service. Our success has been built on integrity, discretion, trust and the commitment to professionalism, competence and passion when serving our clients.

We recognise and acknowledge the contributions of all our past and present employees who have been a part of this remarkable story. In tribute, we remember our two fallen colleges Marius Potgieter and AJ Zaayman, who contributed greatly to the success of our company.

To our loyal clients who have supported our success we would like to take this opportunity to thank you. We look forward to making more memories with you in the years to come.

What an exhilarating journey it has been thus far!

Bob, Rory and Jai.

First and foremost, all guarding personnel allocated to sites should be fully

High walls around houses, razor wire, electric fencing, gated communities, boomed-off restricted-access streets, CCTV systems, are all residential security necessities that have become synonymous with living in South Africa. 

Many South Africans choose to live in residential estates, deeming them a safer environment than stand-alone residences. The above electronic other high-tech security systems make residents feel safer from the rife crime woes of South Africa. However, this perception can prove to be inaccurate, as crime in some of these estates escalates and criminals become more brazen and innovative.  

The misconception that “security is being taken care of by someone else” leads to a false sense of security and even complacency, and this in turn, leads to weaknesses in many estate environments, that criminals can exploit. In this article we look at why a pro-active approach to managing estate security is crucial. Estates need to monitor and assess their security infrastructure on an ongoing basis. By this we mean:

Know The Enemy 

The truth is, it is impossible to build a barrier that cannot ever be compromised. If enough time, money, personnel, planning and imagination are used, any structural barrier can be penetrated or overcome. While multiple layers of security may appear formidable to an inexperienced criminal, a skilled criminal will view these measures as delays rather than barriers.  

More often than not, security measures are configured to deter criminal elements, but the best security systems are those that provide the earliest detection. 

Measures such as high walls, razor wire and spike-strips certainly have their place in a balanced security set up but are easily defeated with the right tools and planning; and should be augmented with proactive measures that can provide detection at the earliest possible point. Such measures include those mentioned above that, in conjunction with a well-managed, professional guarding workforce, seek to remain that step ahead of crime.

One of the most common inhibitors of estate security is complacency on the part of home owners and residents. Often, the high walls and guarded access points create a false sense of security that results in residents neglecting to take basic steps to secure their homes, such as locking doors, closing windows, installing (and arming) alarm system and ensuring that gardens are illuminated to limit concealment. These are all standard measures for stand-alone homes and should be equally so for homes within estates.

Equally, the residents and owners who pay a premium to live in secure estates are often the biggest culprits in undermining their own security by bypassing checks, arguing with security personnel and ignoring protocols when they become inconvenient.  This is typically one of the biggest challenges in maintaining effective security standards within an estate.

Security Audits  

Proactively and periodically assessing your estate’s security and access control protocols is best practice. 

Security should always be deployed in accordance with the associated risk. Prior to an audit taking place, data on current crime trends should be collected, analysed and used as the basis for the audit to ensure that any proposed additional measures are commensurate with the risk.

A good security service provider will be able to inform their clients of what the current crime trends in the area are and provide an overview of incidents they have experienced at similar sites. 

Proactively and periodically assessing your estate’s security and access control protocols is best practice. 

Security is an expensive investment and a major actor on the bottom line. As a fixed cost, a security budget has to compete with many other areas of an estate’s needs and requirements that arguably have an equal case for investment.  

The annual security budget should be carefully planned in accordance with the estate’s requirements, changes in crime trends, outdated technology and, importantly, the annual increase in the cost of guarding services. Expenditure should be confined to measures that will yield the greatest ROI.

Estate security managers should take the lead in this regard. There are multiple security forums, some of them community or area-specific and others more general. These forums provide the ideal opportunity for professionals involved in the security function to share experiences, bounce ideas off one another and share incidents that have occurred. 

This wealth of shared information will give insight into what is happening at similar sites, what measures are being put in place and the success these measures are being met with. Or not.

Resident Community Involvement 

A proven fact is that security companies that build successful relationships with residents and bodies corporate achieve the best results in preventing crime in their estates.

The notion that security is the sole responsibility of the appointed security service providers is flawed. Security should be a culture adopted by each resident, stakeholder and contractor operating within the estate. We are all, to some degree, security managers.

Fostering this sense of community and shared responsibility towards security will encourage residents to uphold the rules of the estate and be proactive in supporting the security effort and reporting any suspicious activity observed, creating a safer environment for all.

One of the key elements of building a co-operative between service providers and residents is communication. If residents feel as though their concerns and suggestions are not being taken into account, the chance of a positive relationship between themselves and the appointed service providers is pretty slim. Open dialogue should be encouraged through the appropriate forums.

Good service providers will also host regular workshops on important topics such as basic security awareness, domestic staff training, what to do in a medical emergency etc. This reinvestment into the community will foster a strong working relationship and provide substantial value and benefit to the residents.

Choosing a Security Service Provider 

Many estates do not have a good relationship with their appointed service provider, and are often left wanting, with unmet expectations, and disappointment with service levels. 

A check to see whether the service provider is compliant with all relevant legislation is a good starting point. Copies of all certificates of registration along with proof of insurance should be requested in the first stage of the RFQ process.

The second step would be to request references of similar projects to ensure the service provider has the necessary experience and infrastructure to successfully deliver the required services. And then to visit those sites. There are a lot of ‘fly-by-night’ security companies offering low-cost and, more often than not, low-quality services; so the service provider’s track record should be a critical factor in the decision-making process.

Commonly made mistakes when choosing and appointing a service provider:

Basing the decision on cost alone is a commonly made mistake. Generally, cost of services will be competitive and market-related, and the differences between service providers will be marginal. In instances where there is a substantial difference between proposed costs, questions must be asked as to why a certain service providers costs are substantially lower. This could potentially be a red flag and a sign that their staff are either underpaid, or the mandatory deductions in terms of legislation are not being levied accordingly.

What expectations and bench marks should bodies corporate have of their service provider?

The number one tip in this regard is for bodies corporate, resident associations or HOAs to ensure that all KPIs / KPAs are clearly defined in the service level agreement. Any expectations should be documented in writing in order to ensure that the service provider is held accountable to those expectations. 

First and foremost, all guarding personnel allocated to sites should be fully trained and accredited with PSIRA. There should be no exceptions in this regard. In terms of formal training requirements, this is mandatory.

Secondly, service providers should offer ongoing site-specific training to ensure their guarding personnel understand the exact requirements of the site, and this should be clearly documented in their job descriptions. Informal training workshops should be held at least quarterly for quality assurance purposes, and proof of such training should be provided to the client.

Investing in technology 

This will largely depend on what existing systems are in place, and what challenges are unique to the estate. 

Estates should strive for a balanced security set up that provides protection in depth, while taking capex and budgetary constraints into account to deliver the maximum return on investment. A balanced set up will include manpower in the form of security guards, equipment, technology and procedures.

The objectives of the security set up should combine the 3 Ds – Detect, Delay, Disrupt. It is usually advisable, particularly for larger estates, to seek assistance from an independent risk management specialist in order to determine precisely what the risks are, and what measures are required to mitigate them to a level that is as low as is reasonably practicable.