CSS Tactical (Pty) Ltd, a security company in Johannesburg, South Africa, takes a community policing approach to crime prevention. CEO Ricky Croock discussed with The Cipher Brief the biggest security concerns to businesses operating in South Africa and how technology and manpower can help confront the growing crime threat.
The Cipher Brief: What are common threats to businesses operating in South Africa? How would you assess this danger compared with that in other major business hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as those in Kenya and Nigeria?
Ricky Croock: Two of the biggest threats to businesses today are robbery and burglary. Criminals are becoming more brazen, and their modus operandi is mostly opportunistic. Crimes are perpetrated in daylight with very little planning. Furthermore, it is believed that employees are often involved. They may steal cash or merchandise. In more organized circumstances, such as fraud, employees may collude with criminals for a kickback. In these cases, detection of employee involvement is difficult. In comparison, both Kenya and Nigeria have a lower incidence of homicide, but crime against business is still rife.
TCB: How does your company play a role in protecting businesses from these threats? What services do you offer?
RC: CSS Tactical performs a risk assessment and threat analysis for each client, which informs a bespoke solution. We provide armed response and alarm monitoring, patrolling of public spaces, offsite monitoring of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and guarding of premises. This is augmented by access control mechanisms, analytical and intelligent software, and technologically advanced monitoring tools to ensure adequate and measured deployment of our services. Our management team and area managers all have a broad understanding of the crime in the areas in which we operate.
At CSS Tactical we have our own Strike Teams, consisting of officers who have extensive military and police experience. The Strike Team is utilized as an additional crime prevention resource as they patrol our communities in marked and unmarked vehicles, which makes life very difficult for unsuspecting criminals. The Strike Team members all have extensive intelligence and investigative experience and also work very closely with the CSS Tactical Investigations Department and Police Intelligence Departments.
TCB: How do you balance the integration of technology and personnel in the security you provide?
RC: The tactical officers on the ground are essential to the services offered by CSS Tactical to our clients in terms of armed response. We have integrated technology into our offering to assist them in being proactive and ultimately being able to provide a better service.
An example of this is the CCTV camera networks installed in some of the areas in which we operate. These cameras are monitored off-site in real time using i-Sentry technology. i-Sentry is an automated video analysis system. It uses Artificial Intelligence to learn the normal behavioral patterns of objects observed by a video camera. When an object displays activity that does not fit the model of normal behavior, the system highlights it as unusual and performs a number of automated responses. i-Sentry transforms a security environment from passive to active. Unusual behavior will send an alert, and a tactical officer will be dispatched to assess the situation.
TCB: Are there some industries that are more susceptible to crime than others?
RC: Yes, some industries are more difficult to safeguard than others. Companies that rely on the transportation of goods by trucks to different sites are at a higher risk of being hijacked. Organized attacks on shopping malls, ATM bombings, and attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles/personnel are a concern.
In an ever-changing criminal environment, suspects are evolving their strategies and depend on victims to be careless and unaware of what is happening in their immediate environment. The more careless a person, the more likely that he/she may become a victim of crime.
TCB: Are there geographic locations within South Africa that are more difficult to protect than others?
RC: All areas are equally difficult to defend. Each area has its own challenges defined by entry/exit points and access to main roads or green belts where criminals can easily disappear into the surroundings. CSS Tactical has the advantage of offering services in neighboring suburbs – namely, Parkhurst, Dunkeld, Craighall Park and Craighall. This means back-up vehicles are available and close by when required on a scene. This creates what we call a ring of steel—a barrier to criminals that is made bigger and stronger the more neighboring suburbs come together. We do not have a ‘one size fits all’ approach but will look at the unique aspects of an area and ensure the most effective and efficient security solution.
TCB: Having been in this business since 2006, how have you seen crime threats change, and how do you expect them to change in the future?
RC: Crime trends have changed from burglaries without people present to an increase in contact crimes. A more proactive approach to security has increased response times and forced criminals to act faster and focus on softer targets, such as people who are less vigilant when entering and leaving properties, withdrawing money from ATM’s, and hijacking vehicles. Unfortunately, criminals will continue to become more brazen and quicker with their attempts in order to be more effective. But as modus operandi change, so is the training for the officers combating crime in these areas.
