In a bid to improve the safety measures that protect the city’s business community, citizens and visitors, Group 4 Securicor (G4S), in partnership with the Central City Improvement District (CCID), launched a new security operations centre within the central city.

Says Derek Bock, Chief Operations Officer of the CCID; “Due to the phenomenal growth of business and residential investment in the central city, ensuring everyone’s safety has become a critical responsibility for City authorities.

By June 2006, we will have about 2 500 additional residential apartments within the central city and new businesses want to be assured that their staff arrive and leave work without concern over their safety.”

The CCID, with G4S as its security services provider, work in partnership with the South African Police Service, the Cape Town Partnership, City Police, and various NGO’s to ensure that Cape Town is a secure environment for its citizens and visitors. Together the organizations have made good arrests; from outstanding warrants, drug busts, the theft of motor vehicles etc.

“Our first priority is the safety of the city’s citizens and visitors but there are welfare aspects concerning the homeless community that require attention as well,” said Jeremy Horner, general manager of the G4S's Western Cape division.

“The issue of street children is a complex and sensitive one. Patrol officers working in the area have been briefed on how to deal with the children with empathy and we believe that the centre will assist the CCID’s efforts to ensure that their welfare is taken into account,' continued Horner.

That is why the centre, officially dubbed 47 on Bree Street will act as a training facility for security patrol staff and will make use of the services of a social worker that will visit the centre on a regular basis.

It will also act as information and assistance centre for the general public and visitors.
On an operational level G4S’s activities for the city area and the Southern Suburbs will be coordinated from the control centre as well.
Publisher: Cape Business News
Source: Cape Business News