What if two armed men, pretending to be postmen entered your logistics facility, would they be treated as suspects, would they be able to overpower the guards on duty, and continue to rob specified containers without being detected?
“During the day of Saturday, December 9, two armed male suspects on foot pretending to be postmen entered the logistics building situated in the Kempton Park area, overpowered the security personnel on duty, tied them up with shoelaces, and one suspect remained with them inside the guard room,” said EMPD spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa.
She said the robber, who remained with the subdued security guards, was talking on his phone regarding which container to break into and how to steal the contents.
Lets delve into the security failures in this instance:
Security Measures that Failed in the Ekurhuleni Robbery: A Breakdown
Security measures seem to have failed in this incident, contributing to the successful robbery:
Physical Security:
- Vulnerable Access Control: The robbers easily impersonated postmen, suggesting inadequate verification procedures or lack of awareness of potential disguise tactics among security personnel.
- Inadequate Guard Response: Security guards were quickly overpowered and subdued, highlighting insufficient training in self-defense or response to armed threats.
- Unsecured Guardroom: The robbers easily tied up and confined the guards within the guardroom, implying no monitored surveillance of the guard room and rest of the facility, independent of the guard room..
Information Security:
- Leaked Information: The robber’s phone conversation indicates someone within the site informed them about specific containers and their valuable contents. This points to potential insider threats or inadequate data security protocols.
Communication and Procedures:
- Delayed Response: No details are provided about the response time of law enforcement or internal security forces, but the success of the robbery suggests potential delays or inefficiencies in communication protocols.
Lessons Learned:
This incident highlights the importance of multi-layered security solutions. Relying solely on physical barriers is insufficient. Effective security requires:
- Robust Access Control: Implement secure ID verification, consider biometric authentication, and train personnel to identify suspicious behavior, it’s now become common for thieves to impersonate third party officials and the arrival of third party officials needs to trigger a verification process that is able to validate their presence or not – e.g. no person may enter the facility without prior arrangement with an official on site.
- Layered Perimeter Security: Combine fences with alarms, CCTV cameras, and intrusion detection systems for comprehensive coverage which includes 24/7 monitoring of the guarded entrances.
- Guard Training and Equipment: Train security personnel in self-defense, de-escalation, and armed response. Equip them with panic buttons and communication tools.
- Information Security: Secure sensitive data, track access logs, and raise awareness among employees about information sharing.
- Community Engagement: Partner with the local community for security awareness and encourage reporting of suspicious activity.
By addressing these vulnerabilities and implementing a holistic security approach, similar incidents can be prevented and the safety of employees and assets assured.
The Gensix Technology Response:
In this incident we need expanded video surveillance. A video monitoring facility that is located away from the guarded entrances and monitored 24/7 by another guard. The surveillance includes coverage of the guard rooms and interiors, and avoids blind spots throughout the premises. This system incorporates AI detection and operator assistance flags. In this instance the video surveillance operator would have observed what was happening and been in a position to summon autorities.
Access to the facility is granted only by time limited, pre-generated token that is issued by a responsible person on-site to potential visitors.
Non technical management responses.
Guard Training and Procedures: Guards have heightened awareness of the trend of impersonating third party officials, capable of using the available systems to validate a visitors access request by token, which access is only possible by pre-arrangement with management.
Guards should be alert to the threat posed by such visitors and maintain a posture which does not make all the guards simultaneously vulnerable to armed intruders.
Contact gensix to secure your logistics facility.
