Security measures in place to ensure safety in the Cape Town Central City are in line with other international cities, if not more advanced. This is the view of CCID Safety & Security manager Muneeb Hendriks who recently attended the world’s top security conference in London.
Looking at what was presented at the IFSEC International 2019, Mo says the Cape Town Central City is not far behind its international counterparts. In fact, the CBD is “ahead of certain cities in terms of security. Overall, I’d say, we have a good combination of all the cities rolled into one and are using technology as an early warning system to alert us before a crime occurs. This way, we’re able to eliminate the opportunity to commit crime altogether as opposed to reacting after the fact.”
Mo says the event was insightful and filled with educational keynote addresses, seminars and panel discussions. “It was great gaining insights into international best practice, latest products and new innovations in the security space,” he said.
Over 27 000 security professionals at ExCeL London (London’s exhibitions and international convention centre) had the opportunity to see ground-breaking security technology being put to the test and evaluate how the latest solutions perform against real-life attack scenarios. The event held from 18 to 20 June also provided a platform for security professionals to find answers to their day-to-day security challenges and network with installers, distributors, consultants and end-users from across the globe.
GREAT INSIGHTS PRESENTED
In addition to collaborating with various partners to maintain safety in the CBD, some of the security measures that the CCID’s own security department has in place include the deployment of 300 public safety officers (PSOs) who patrol the streets day and night. All the CCID PSOs are equipped with body-worn video (BWV) units, with the system being highly successful particularly in behaviour modification. The department also has an advanced incident reporting system that enables instant and live consolidated reporting, increased efficiency for team members, being able to get an instant view of incidents as well as being able to access the status of incidents remotely, basically from anywhere in the world. Safety issues in the Central City can also be reported to the department’s 24-hour control centre through WhatsApp on 082 415 7127.
WHAT STOOD OUT AT IFSEC INTERNATIONAL 2019
Key things that stood out for him included the following:
- Artificial Intelligence. This includes the use of license plate recognition, facial recognition and behavioural analytics to assist in eliminating human error.
- CCTV Cameras. The latest technology on CCTV Cameras includes the fisheye lens which allows for wider coverage and leaves no blind spots of your monitoring zones.
- Control Room Setups. This allows for the integration of all security systems.
- Body Worn Cameras. The latest technology allows for live monitoring through Wi-Fi.
- Public-Private Partnerships. How partnerships work.
- Lone Worker Protection. How to look after your staff as well as live tracking of staff.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
Mo noted that the areas of improvement for the Cape Town Central City include, the use of video analytics to improve safety, facial recognition and licence plate recognition technology.
“We are looking at rectifying this and having learnt valuable lessons at the conference and having conducted our own research, we see opportunities for improvement to make our services high tech and will integrate and implement soon,” he concluded.
IMAGES: Muneeb “Mo” Hendricks, CCID manager of Safety & Security