INDUSTRY FOCUS PAGE 72
Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate
the image of a number plate and“ recognise” the number. The number can then be used to establish the identity of the driver, or at least detect forged identities.
By using licence disc scanners combined with correctly applied CCTV equipment, we can dramatically reduce the number of criminals with the resources to breach our defences. It is essential to give security officers effective training in the use of this equipment.
Using the various technologies in combination and maintaining a system that presents the information gathered to an access controller in an organised fashion, we are able to greatly limit the possibility of criminals entering our space.
However, criminal syndicates are not all equal. Most are not equipped to evade detection by systems in the combination described above, but some are very sophisticated indeed and may be able to pass the identity verification phase at the access point – with the best security systems utilised optimally.
So the final and crucial part of the security process is to provide technology that allows the resident to make the final decision as to whether a visitor should be allowed or denied access.
Taking into account that most visitors to an estate are legitimate, and also recognising the average visitor’ s intolerance of clumsy or slow access control, the technology
made available to the resident needs to be quick and intuitive. It also needs to accommodate the fact that people are often technophobes, reluctant to embrace complicated technologies.
It is therefore important to provide systems that allow residents to use technologies that they are familiar with. The good news is that most people are comfortable with smartphones and able to use applications designed for them.
The resident is the final filter in the access control process. The responsibility for giving an individual access should lie with the resident, so it is important to give the resident as much help as possible to make intelligent decisions. SMS-based access control systems are very effective in this regard.
TIME, ATTENDANCE AND GEOLOCATION
We need to know when contractors and other visitors arrive, when they leave and, if possible, what their movements are while inside.
Security and other contracted services are expensive. It is important to get the most out of these services, and it is foolhardy to rely on contractors to guarantee that their employees are performing to the highest standard. Traditional guard monitoring systems do not cope very well with this aspect of service delivery. Fortunately new systems exist that cater for this need to manage contractor performance better. There are companies that monitor contractor service performance levels.
Once visitors enter an estate, we need to be sure that they are where they are meant to be. We cannot allow people to wander around the estate at will.
Geolocation is the identification of the actual geographic location of an object such as a mobile phone or Internet-connected computer terminal. This technology helps ensure that contractors are where they are supposed to be all of the time.
As GPS technology is expensive, not everybody can afford it, but there are other technologies, such as QR codes, that can help keep track of individuals cost-effectively.
BOTTOM LINE
Security is a dynamic and constantly changing field. As systems become more sophisticated, so do the criminals, so it’ s important to keep abreast of the latest trends. And Workforce Management are the experts in evaluating the security needs of estates, and designing programmes that combine the various technologies available to produce the solution best suited to that particular estate.
Glenn van der Westhuizen www. wfms. co. za