High levels of crime and violence continue to rock our nation and, as a result, people have had little choice but to turn to high walls, electric fences and security companies to keep invading criminals out. South Africa has one of the largest private security forces in the world with security guards and bodyguards vastly outnumbering the police, but is this the answer to our security problems?
Over the years the media has been full of incidents around security guards, but often rather than fighting crime as they have been hired to do, they are found to have been involved or simply negligent. Let’s look into some of the serious issues surrounding the security guard industry.
1. High Competition
Security is a cut throat industry and there is large amount of competition to gain security contracts. Bidding wars result in undercutting costs and lowering service quality including hiring undertrained guards who simply don’t know how to do the job!
2. Lack of Training
All security guarding officers should be registered and governed by the Private Security Regulation Act and there are differing grades that determine the level of responsibility of the guard. But there are still security companies who operate under the radar and their guards are not trained or registered as required by law.
Also, too often even registered security guards are expected to perform functions that should be in the realm of the police including going into dangerous situations that they were never trained to deal with.
3. Long Hours and Low Pay
Security guards are often expected to work extremely long hours, right through the night and falling asleep on the job and therefore missing a security breach is sadly very common. Despite the fact that the security guard is often the first person on a crime scene, long before the police, they are not well paid with salaries ranging between just R3 000 and R5 000 a month. Far too often they are easily bribed and fall into the temptation of colluding with criminals for financial gain.
4. Criminal Infiltration
The security guard vetting process is often far from adequate to weed out criminals applying for positions as security guards. Recently a security company reported that in just two months 27 security guards attempted to apply for employment using falsified documentation. The SAPS Criminal Records Centre has a constantly growing list of registered guards who are flagged as being linked to possible criminal activities.
5. Lack of Industry Oversight
The Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) is meant to regulate and control the private security industry but oversight is currently limited to a handful of inspectors nationally who are expected to oversee the entire industry.
All of this bids the question: What is the answer to this security crisis? Clearly, it would not be wise to leave the monitoring of your property or business in the hands of a security guard who may in fact be the weakness in your security!
Virtual Guarding
With all of these factors in mind, there is a need for an innovative solution that removes the unreliable human element. Fortunately cutting edge technology has now made it possible to monitor your premises 24 hours a day, effectively cutting out the need for a security guard. Myertal Tactical Security brings you tech-based CCTV monitoring with state-of-the-art AI software that intelligently self-learns the normal movements in and out of a property and quickly detects any unusual behaviour. Alerts of suspicious movements are picked up at the off-site control room for immediate tactical response.
The truth is, the safety of your property is up to you. Don’t leave it in weak human hands!
Contact Myertal Today!
