The Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID), manager of Safety & Security, Muneeb “Mo” Hendricks, recently attended the Securex South Africa 2018 expo at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, to keep abreast of the latest security trends.
Held between 22 and 24 May, Securex is Africa’s leading security and fire expo that brings together thousands of the continent’s security and fire protection professionals from across both the public and private sectors. The expo focuses on all elements of security, from physical to cybersecurity and everything in between.
According to Mo, being at the expo was a great experience as he had the opportunity to interact with experts in the security field and to see more than 160 exhibiting companies, showcasing a full range of security-related products and services. He also attended seminars with topical sessions on security trends that could also improve the top-up services the CCID provides to those delivered by its primary safety partners, the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement agency and the South African Police Service.
“While we’re always on the lookout for the latest trends in technologies that could improve the services we render to the Cape Town CBD, equally important is the safety of our team of around 230 public safety officers (PSOs) who patrol the streets day and night. At the expo, I took the time to specifically look at safety equipment to protect our officers such as body armour, gloves that prevent needles from penetrating, stab-proof vests and helmets. I also looked at non-lethal pistols that can incapacitate a person without causing injuries as well as body-worn video models that could be an upgrade to the ones that we currently use.”
Since the conclusion of a pilot programme in December 2015, all CCID PSOs have been equipped with body-worn video (BWV) units, with the system being highly successful particularly in behaviour modification.
Mo adds that, having been able to see all the security-related products and latest technology at Securex, he is satisfied with the level the CCID’s Safety and Security department is currently at when it comes to safety: “A big component of working smart and using technology to our advantage is partnerships. I would like to see our primary partners also looking at these aids, so that we can constantly improve and take out the guesswork when it comes to dealing with crime, so that we can also concentrate more on minor offences and ensure there are repercussions for criminal behaviour of any kind.”
Images – Opening picture of Securex supplied by Business Events Africa; image of CCID Safety & Security Manager Muneeb “Mo” Hendricks supplied by Mo.