(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Police started planning for Expo 2020 security before the city won the bid Mark Horton regional sales director Middle East of G4S Security tells Khaleej Times on the sidelines of Intersec conference.
What is this new technology your company has launched this ‘symmetry V8 access control system’
It’s about situational awareness. We’ve developed a smart solution one smart integrated solution accessible to the operator. So that means the operator at one central location say in a mall will be alerted the moment a door opens and the technology will point out which door at exactly what location…
And we’ve developed this software across ten key sectors including oil and gas transportation (airports and seaports) education healthcare residential areas and security service apparatuses such as police stations government buildings and military bases.
And this new technology is for residential buildings as well
Yes in Dubai and the other emirates we’re getting more enquiries for residential security. This is largely police-driven and due to the threats of extortion and kidnapping of mostly high net-worth individuals in villas and in tower blocks.
Are the people seeking personal security mostly locals or expatriates
Mostly it is expats who seek out high levels of personal security. Indian and European expats a lot.
With the recent murder in the restroom of an Abu Dhabi mall could the security have been handled differently
Malls are quite a challenging environment to protect. We will never put cameras in restrooms. Not here and not in Europe. No cameras in a mosque either for that mater… and it is highly unlikely that one random event will change legislation. But there is software now that records how long someone is in the restroom. So for instance if it’s a couple of hours then it could be the case of someone having fallen unconscious. […] But even in Europe in that instance we couldn’t have taken a different approach. It’s highly unlikely that legislation will change to allow cameras into bathrooms.
Can you talk a bit about oil and pipeline security measures
We have very efficient systems in place to monitor any threats to pipeline security. We have close circuit cameras (CCTVs). A pipeline may be a 1000km long but our technologies can tell if a person is approaching within 10 metres that there might be a security breach and our security officers will go straight to that spot. Not everyone nearing a pipeline is a threat but there is always a trade-off between risk and budget. We’ve also been deploying UAVs — drones — to monitor pipeline areas.
How closely do you work with the Dubai Police
Very closely. The police service in this country is very forward looking. They’re always open to new ideas and. In fact the Dubai Police started planning security measures for Expo 2020 during the bidding much before Dubai won […] 200 new hotels have been planned for 2020 and the Dubai Police want to make sure they get feedback from all these hotels to a central command. The idea is to make this the safest expo in history.
How secure is the UAE in the face of terror threats and ISIS attacks
There’s been no impact of ISIS attacks on Dubai. Dubai is a very very secure zone the screening and surveillance at airports and seaports is world class and constantly improving. The security officers undergo constant training and it’s a industry that grows at 8 per cent annually.
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