by Ntsoaki Sibiya
The coronavirus pandemic is the most challenging situation the security industry has faced. The pandemic has caused an extraordinary degree of business and economic disruption, from local communities to global supply chains—and that’s before you get to the health scare itself and its impacts on families and businesses. The virus has had an impact on the fundamentals of society and security is both becoming critically important and disposable at the same time.
Protecting Officers
The first order of the day for all security companies has been ensuring their workers remain safe. Security companies have been very explicit in their instructions about cleanliness, hand sanitizer, washing hands, and social distance and space of guards dealing with people. In certain instances whereby the company is rendering services to high population industries such as grocery stores, security guards should have been provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) along with instructions on how to use it. Equally important is supervisors on respective sites communicating to guards to ensure that they know to wash their hands, use anti-bacterial solutions, and not touch their faces.
There are a variety of parties that are going to be the focus of protection. Similarly to medical staff, security personnel who are interfacing with the public also need suitable protection, particularly those in front line positions. The use of masks and/or other protective gear including head visors sends a message that the security staff themselves are serious about the issues. That is also a source of comfort to those interacting with such staff. Where security personnel are not provided with protective equipment, they are likely to seriously question how much concern the company has for them. Protection should also go beyond the protective gear, to issues of transport and getting people to work in a safe way, access to treatment if people do get ill, isolation provisions and pay.
For the people being protected, having what looks like a prepared and competent security workforce is an essential element of maintaining confidence. Assisting in generating and maintaining a culture that helps manage the threats presented by COVID-19 can be facilitated by security. This could include notifying people of behaviours that are likely to lead to contamination by the virus as part of a ‘safety culture’ emphasis.
Security systems and processes
Being at the entry and exit of sites, and involving interaction and exchange with others, security in both physical and equipment form has a high potential for passing on infection. Security needs to do an intensive identification, review, and audit of unsafe practice which can cause cross infection. Biometrics, particularly fingerprint-based access has been seen as the new way of the future. Yet COVID-19 has shifted us back into the past where even simple button pushes to open booms represent a potential way of getting infected. A number of operations have already suspended fingerprint access systems and the traditional badging cards may be brought out of storage to reign again, at least until the rate of infection is minimized.
New and even traditional models for security systems are being shaken to their foundations, and plans B, C, or D should already have been implemented. Whatever security activity involves extensive contact with materials that are touched frequently by others, have become a potential infection threat. This includes handing over driver’s licences to the security officer at business and residential estates being visited, given that anybody who has come in before may have been infected and potentially passed that on to the security officer.
So either there needs to be a way of accessing it that does not involve the officer touching the licence, or some kind of disinfectant agent needs to be added to the process. Procedures, cleaning, and access control rules all need to be reconsidered to minimize the potential for infection.
The crime impact
COVID-19 affects everyone in society, often in a fundamental and devastating way. Decreases in earnings, layoffs, business closures, service and food delivery issues associated with isolation, and potential access to or availability of provisions or materials are becoming widespread internationally although the extent may vary by country. Families where key breadwinners are unable to get an income may increase desperation.
Where these conditions exist they are likely to cause increases in the incidences of crime although this may vary according to the severity of the impact and support mechanisms and culture within that society. Crime dynamics could start showing up in increases to get access to goods through shoplifting, through to petty theft and increases in illegal access to properties for theft purposes. Higher value targets are likely to be affected even more.
Where more violent or organised crime already exists, it is likely that these will increase in volume. Given these conditions, security is going to become even more important.
Security always has a role and function in supporting society. The environment generated by COVID-19 is threatening, or potentially threatening, a wide number of aspects in our current way of life. Importantly, it is also threatening security practitioners and the systems we use as well.
Business continuity
The COVID-19 situation is evolving rapidly. Tsoabelo Security Solutions’ response to this outbreak prioritizes fulfilling our role in society, continuing to provide 24/7/365 support to our clients, the well-being of our employees and on protecting our long-term financial sustainability. Tsoabelo Security Solutions executes significant response efforts, and we are working closely together with our clients to secure the provisioning of safety and security during a challenging time. Security as an industry will need to adapt and change to deal with the challenges ahead and assist in maintaining an orderly society under difficult situations. It does mean that there are likely to be some incredibly innovative ideas coming out of the industry. It will also involve working together and working closely with society to deal with the challenges ahead.
Have a safe and secured day!
Ntsoaki Sibiya is the Founder and CEO of Tsoabelo Security Solutions, a 100% black woman owned company that specialises in security & risk management services (guarding operations , installations of access control systems and cctv surveillance). The company was established in 2017 and is based in Pretoria, South Africa. Having worked in the security industry for almost a decade, she quickly found her passion for the protection and risk management industry. She embarked on extensive research into the industry’s process, context and content, which gave her insights into the workings of a security business, and the ability to form the blueprint for her own security company. Ntsoaki is a firm believer that a greater role for women in the security is necessary not only to rectify a social injustice, but more importantly, because there is an economic and business imperative to use the talents of women to solve the problems that the world faces. She refers to herself as “the portrait of a power woman” – who is purpose driven and passionate about creating empowering environments, and uses her knowledge and expertise to articulate the importance of security and risk management in all environments. www.tsoabelosolutions.co.za
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You don’t just need more contacts. You need a council. You need an advisory board. A strategy of proximity.