TRSS: Trust the Best to Secure Your World

South Africa, unfortunately, remains a hotbed for crime. High unemployment drives desperation, and a police force that is much too small to manage alone is supplemented by an enormous private security industry. According to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA), more than 9000 companies employ some 600,000 people, with two million registered as qualified security agents in a country where the police stand with numbers of less than 150,000. The situation has allowed for the growth of monolithic companies, and attracted interest from around the world with major global conglomerates setting up shop in SA to support security interests of international organisations active in one of Africa’s largest economies.

But with this has also come distrust. Allegations of security companies operating outside of their mandate – greying the lawfulness of their activity, acting above the police rather than in partnership. It’s a complicated and unique problem.

The public and private sector are working hard to improve the situation, but clearly it remains imperative to partner with a knowledgeable, experienced, local player, who understands conditions on the ground, and has the ability to deal with even the most severe security threats. According to Brett Fisher, Director at Johannesburg-based TRSS – a leading security company in both technical and manpower solutions – crime remains one of largest fear factors for all in the country.

“Crime is traumatising, when people break into your home or business it has a big impact on people,” he tells Enterprise Africa.

“We have been around for more than 20 years and we have learned the lessons. It has taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get to where we are now.

“In this industry, it’s always long days and long nights but we are doing ok and making progress.”

However, this reassurance comes alongside warning – the pandemic and the recent unrest has fuelled crime activity in the country as people’s economic status has been dashed.

“As soon as the lockdown softened through level four and level three, we immediately saw criminals return with a vengeance. It became very difficult and we saw crime increase. It’s an obvious factor as so many businesses have taken such a knock. Many businesses have closed, many have lost their jobs, and many are now unemployed. That, in turn, leads more people to crime and people become more desperate, understandably. The increase has been drastic, and we are catching and arresting more people but they are back on the street again very quickly,” Fisher laments.

TURNKEY OFFERING

Whether it’s home or business – SME or national powerhouse – TRSS has a solution for all, developed over more than two decades.

The company’s ethos is about stopping crime before it happens, acting as a deterrent by employing both human and technological assets on site. This combination is often overlooked by many in the industry despite its obvious results.

TRSS splits its services across four key divisions: Guarding, Reaction, Technical and Special Operations.

“With guarding, we are in commercial, industrial and residential,” explains Fisher. “Commercial is anything from blue-chip companies to major hotels to shopping centres or independent businesses. Residential is where we look after big estates with big infrastructure and control rooms, or a smaller estate with around 20 houses but in need of 24-hour guards. Industrial is where we look after trucking companies or logistics businesses.”

The physical presence of a manned guarding unit, around a residential area or business, is one of the strongest deterrents for criminals planning burglaries or breaking and entering. Being able to see Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA)-trained guards, fully uniformed, with clear back up available is enough to put off even the most hardened criminals.

Should further assistance be required, TRSS’s Reaction team, or armed response unit, is called in. This is a highly trained team with advanced weaponry skills and experience in dangerous situations. Recently, in Sundowner, north of Johannesburg, TRSS reaction officers spotted a break in attempt and gave chase. Suspects were apprehended and found to be in possession of tools. The suspects and the tools were handed over to SAPS and the home was protected.

“Armed response is also split into commercial, industrial and residential. Armed response is to back up our guards should there be an emergency. Our guards are equipped with panic buttons and in South Africa you have electric fences which are all linked to our armed response teams. Should someone try and tamper with the electric fence or a guard push a panic alarm, a signal will go to our control room who will dispatch an armed response unit.

“On the residential side, we can manage just one house through panic buttons and other technology, but we also have what we call ‘special projects’ where we look after an estate within a suburb, where certain residents form a committee and develop a more visible and formal security presence. It’s a combination of guarding, armed response and technology which includes CCTV and automatic number plate recognition.”

This is where the company’s expert Technical team comes into play. Delivering and installing industry-leading technology – including cameras, electric fencing, alarm systems, beams and mechanics in homes, boom gates, garage motors and much more – TRSS again goes one step further than others by keeping this ability inhouse, controlling the security of its client in a wholistic fashion.

“We have a large facility where we do a lot of steel work and if you want a security gate manufactured, we have the ability to provide a turnkey solution to our clients. That is something that many other companies do not have. Our clients love that as they can deal with one person and hold one person accountable,” says Fisher.

Alongside these offerings comes the TRSS SWAT team – an industry-leading group of highly-trained individuals, often from military or policing background, with extensive experience in tactical operations and life-threatening situations. This is ultimate crime barrier and another area where TRSS towers over competition.

“They have access to the latest technology – including drones and thermal imaging cameras – and serious weapons. They have the ability to support our guards and armed response teams if they get into a situation where they are faced with serious resistance. They have high level knowledge around how to get in and out of buildings very quickly, how to track criminals through rivers or veld, they are a heavily armed, and they have access to leading rescue equipment. That is a big comfort to our guards and reaction officers as they can get into situations where four hijackers will arrive at a gate, and they need to know they have back up,” details Fisher.

SECURE INVESTMENT

Recently, TRSS finalised investment into a new control room. This secure and vital facility adds to existing capability and brings further capacity to the team.

“We have more than 2500 people and 130 vehicles on the road. Security is very important, and it is important to have 100% uptime. When you are sitting at home and you push your panic button, you don’t want to hear any excuses – the security must arrive,” asserts Fisher.

“Your control room is the hub and heart of your company,” he adds. “It’s where people are making decisions about deployment – can you imagine if criminals broke in? It would be chaos, so we ensure our control rooms are super secure. Our newest is a 120 m² control room with bullet proof glass and our clients, especially corporate clients, like to tour our facilities. If they are a bank or a hotel, they want to come here and ensure what you’re telling them over a call is true.”

This is the second control room for TRSS and is certified by the South African Intruder Detection Services Association (SAIDSA). “That means they are bomb proof and no one can break in. People can even survive in there for a few days if they need to,” states Fisher.

Further confirmation that the company is dedicated to the unequivocal and constant uptime of not only its manpower and technology, but also its vehicles comes as Fisher details more about the TRSS service centre and fuel depot.

“We have a full repair centre where we can service, maintain and manage vehicles. Cars regularly need servicing for many reasons and we have the ability to bring cars in and repair, and use a spare vehicle in the meantime. The result is 100% uptime for the client and a car repaired by us, so we know it’s been done right but with a quick turnaround time.

“We also have our own fuel depot which keeps us running even if fuel tankers cannot get to forecourts. Our vehicles always have fuel and we manage everything as a company rather than outsourcing small bits here and there.”

The differentiators afford TRSS the ability to service clients effectively, without interruption, across Gauteng. Because of the company’s success in and around Johannesburg, Fisher has set sets firmly on national expansion as opportunities begin to emerge and crime continues to thrive in South Africa.

“We are Gauteng-based and from a guarding point of view we operate across the whole province. We are yet to roll out properly nationally but we do have some sites that we look after on a national basis. Our plans are certainly to go national, and that means covering Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha and other big cities in South Africa. We are looking at that for possibly as soon as next year. Right now, we are very focussed on Gauteng and our armed response footprint is active mostly in the northern suburbs of Gauteng,” he says.

COVID IMPACT

The pandemic impacted the security industry like no other. Some businesses thrived, others disappeared. Many lost jobs, and many bulked up their personal protection. SAPS reported an initial reduction in crime rates as the strict lockdowns were implemented, followed by harsh upswings as the rules eased.

“With the first hard lockdown, we were part of the essential services allowed to continue operating,” says Fisher. “It was great from a security point of view, as nobody was allowed to be out and if anyone was out walking or in a vehicle, they would be questioned quickly. The result was that crime reduced dramatically. We were using our vehicles to assist with food parcels and food deliveries and helping those less fortunate. As much as it was a period of doom and gloom, it was nice from a security point of view as there was less crime.”

The company had to adjust its patterns to be compliant, but, overall, it was business as usual for TRSS which was required throughout lockdown.

“We had strict Covid measures within the business and people who could work from home did that. But we are an operations-focussed business which means we have to have people coming to check equipment and run exercises. Not a major amount changed for us and we managed to achieve strong growth a good sales figures while people were reaching out for a reputable company with backing and firepower, especially after the riots and looting. Smaller security companies were simply unable to back people up to the right level at that point,” says Fisher.0 

Unfortunately, the company did experience Covid first hand, with a number of staff contracting the virus and many having to isolate while any symptoms subsided. “That is still happening to a certain degree,” admits Fisher. “Our vaccine rollout has been slow in South Africa but have been trying to educate our staff and ask them to get their vaccines when they can.”

Thankfully, there were no issues with capacity and supply, and all areas and sites protected by TRSS remained resilient over the past 18 months. Some customers were impacted, and there were isolated cases of concern with contracts, as the company saw unemployment once again become the scourge of the nation, but the TRSS culture of family means putting staff at the forefront of planning at all times.

“People have less income and so cannot afford security. Yes, the privileged have security, but if you have a household where earners have lost jobs, how can you expect them to pay for armed response,” Fisher questions. “We had hotels where we ran massive guarding operations who just closed down overnight – that kind of thing does affect us. We do have a massive infrastructure but we paid every single staff member a full salary all the way through,” he adds.

With the ill-effects of the crime epidemic in South Africa still clear for all to see, and without an end in sight that doesn’t involved the private security sector, it is crucial for companies and residents to choose a security partner with a glowing reputation and experience in dealing with the scope of threats that besiege the country. TRSS is proactive. It is fast and efficient. And it is proven when it comes to securing its clients assets.

“We are a company that believes in manpower and technology. We combine both so that when our guards are on site, they have everything they need, alongside our control room, to be proactive rather than reactive. It’s so important to be proactive in security. We send teams out to stop crime before it happens and that is really what people want,” Fisher concludes.