During a six month trial security initiative that started in May 2009 between Humewood police and Atlas Security, the tow organisations significantly curbed crime in the Summerstrand and Humewood areas in Port Elizabeth.

Information provided by Atlas Security

Adapted by Kotie Geldenhuys

The project started in late May 2009 under the supervision of Humewood’s Station Commander Dir Ronald Koll and the sector manager, Capt Garth Rademeyer. The joint security initiative was geared towards enhancing service delivery and crime elimination within the specific area. Both SAPS and Atlas aimed to enhance direct communication between one another so that in the event of an emergency, all parties could react and assist to apprehend the culprits.

Humewood Police Station is the first in the Eastern Cape to initiate a project of this kind at station level and yield such positive results due to good work relation. This initiative was formed after the Safety and Security MEC, Ms Gloria Barry, stressed the importance of all law enforcement entities working together to combat crime.

According to the project head, Capt Garth Rademeyer, the project has seen impeccable results and with the assistance of Atlas, the police have managed to enhance their reaction time to priority complaints. "We did this by analysing crime statistics together with Atlas and discovered where the hotspots were. We then strategised and formed a plan that led to numerous culprits being arrested in the specific area," he said. "This saw the birth of a hand-in-glove work relationship between both entities." Atlas Security’s Operations Head, Monty Montgomery said that the initiative worked extremely well and hopefully would be backed by other stations throughout the Port Elizabeth area. "We have seen a massive drop in crime in the Summerstrand and Humewood areas since the launch of the project," he said. "The enhanced response time from Atlas and the police has made criminals realise that the likelihood of them getting caught is greater - hence they have moved to other areas."

The entire project is based on direct communication whereby SAPS and Atlas communicate criminal information to one another so that more people are aware of activities and trends in a specific area. Mr Mike Burmeister, Operations Director: Atlas, said that crime statistics kept by Atlas, compared to those of the previous year, have shown a remarkable decrease in this precinct over the past six months. "The results of this initiative speak for themselves and I can tell you that we have worked around the clock together with the police to ensure the success of this project in the area." He said that the likelihood of Atlas Security moving the project to other stations would depend on the action plan of each station. "The only way this will work is if we custom make a strategic plan per station," he said. "We have numerous other projects and areas in the pipeline that we are hoping to work with the police on, in an effort to stamp out crime."

Various role-players in the security industry have agreed that it is impossible for the police to single handedly impact on the thriving criminal trend throughout the country. This initiative is an example to other security companies and police stations nationally to join hands in the fight against crime.