Global security group offers advice to SA

JOY ORLEK SOUTH AFRICA’S poor security record has attracted the interest of the Technology Asset Protection Association (Tapa), which is keen to play a role in raising security standards in the country. Established several years ago by 20 global high tech companies, including Apple, Ericsson, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia and Samsung, its objective is to effect positive change in the security practices of the freight and insurance communities. A delegation is expected in South Africa on May 15 to discuss its concerns and suggestions with the main players who will include the likes of the SA Police Service, SA Revenue Service, the Durban Container Terminal and Airports Company of SA. Achieving Tapa accreditation demands stringent implementation of security and safety standards stipulated by the association and clearly these could be applied in the wider South African context. Access at Johannesburg International Airport, for example, demands serious attention. “You can drive in without an Acsa pass and are generally waved through. Once you have finished your business within the airport, you simply drive straight through the security booms without being checked. The guards are poorly trained and poorly paid and therefore could be open to bribes, which translates into high levels of criminal activity that affect all stakeholders,” says TNT regional security manager John Nelson. This is one of the issues which the association is likely to confront, particularly against the backdrop of the recent high profile heist at Johannesburg International Airport which was clearly the work of insiders. Stringent reference checks on all staff are an element of the Tapa security initiative and often a point of contention in terms of people’s right to privacy.