Guardforce joins anti-crime partnership

Local initiative targets JIA MARIE-LAIS EMOND IN THE ongoing battle against high-value theft at Johannesburg International Airport, local and international players have forged a partnership to fight the growing problem. Guardforce International Transportation, along with the Technology Asset Protection Association (TAPA) and several other parties, have put their weight behind the initiative which has seen the establishment of a working group to fight cargo theft. Last month they met with the Minister of Transport, Jeff Radebe, and other Department of Transport officials to set the ball rolling, says sales and marketing manager Richard Poulton. He says the permit situation at the airport has already been improved, although not fully resolved. “New permits have been issued and the system revised.” Guardforce provides security of the impenetrable kind to protect high-value goods and vulnerable cargo, such as cellphones, clothing and other easy-to-sell desirables. Digital camera and surveillance equipment keep “eyes” on the high-tech protection area 24 hours a day. A high-security warehouse provides customers with an independent option for the handling of cargo. A heliport and fixed-wing facility enables helicopters and aircraft to deliver the goods into vaults within minutes of an aircraft landing. In the light of JIA’s high crime record, companies often find difficulty obtaining insurance cover unless they have taken the extra protection measures offered by Guardforce, Poulton says. “When security becomes impervious at one location, the criminals will attack from another point. If the airport were fully secured, the focus of criminal activity would probably shift to other areas such as vehicles collecting or delivering goods. “We can provide escorts to or from the airport to ensure the safety of goods during this phase of the logistics chain.”