The 2010 FIFA World Cup (SWC) in South Africa kicks off in 93 days time (as at 09 March 2010). The good news is that the country's state security and safety services (including the SA Police, intelligence services and emergency services) received another vote of confidence from FIFA and Interpol following an evaluation conducted over the past few days. Despite this thumbs up, many corporates and high net-worth individuals will decide to make use of private security and body-guarding services for the World Cup, primarily because of concerns about South Africa's high rates of violent crimes. In this article, we consider key questions that corporates should consider when appointing security providers.

1.How reputable is the operator?

It is inevitable that an event of this magnitude will encourage opportunists to make quick earnings, and with the safety of visitors receiving prominent attention in the media it is not surprising that a plethora of relatively unknown providers offering a range of protection services have been reported in the media. Even though South Africa's private security sector is tightly regulated and governed by tight legislation, there are loopholes that could allow unscrupulous or 'fly-by-night' operators to exploit the relative shortage of professional security personnel that is expected for SWC. Therefore, it is essential that clients conduct adequate due diligence checks on security providers to ensure that they are not appointing operators with little or no experience or a poor track record.

2.What calibre of personnel will the operator provide?

In South Africa the term 'security personnel' usually refers to static security guards that are typically deployed to protect buildings and other assets. Before signing up an operator, clients should confirm the calibre of personnel that will be deployed. It would also be wise to insist that the operator provide complete CV's of personnel that will be assigned to the client, and ensure that there is a contractual obligation for the operator to ensure that only those personnel approved by the client are actually deployed during the assignment.

To ensure that clients are not unwittingly exposed to risk by those appointed to protect them, one should confirm that field personnel have protection experience in hostile environments, have adequate local knowledge to support tactical decision-making, and ideally receive ongoing in-house training from the operator. On the other hand, clients should be cautious of hiring protectors who are currently serving members of the SA Police Services or other state security agencies (as all leave for SAPS and other personnel is likely to be canceled). Note that all security personnel, including non-South African citizens, are required to be registered with PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) in order to operate in the field in South Africa. Ask the service provider to submit proof of the business, directors and employee's registrations and or licenses with PSIRA prior to engagement or payment of deposits.

3.How will the operator deliver the service?

SWC is officially a 'gun-free' event, meaning that no firearms will be allowed in or around stadiums and other official venues. In fact, SAPS have hinted that it may be possible that crack downs on carrying of firearms even outside of zoned areas could occur. This will pose a significant challenge to operators whose protection methods rely heavily on packing firepower. Clients should therefore ensure that prospective service providers are experienced in protection disciplines that rely on other methods, such as early detection and avoidance of risks and the use of non-lethal weapons amongst others.

It is particularly important to note that South African law currently requires that firearms used by protectors should be licensed in the name of the client. Many operators flout this violation claiming that there are loopholes in it, but our inquiries with SAPS legal services revealed that the police intend to adopt an unambiguous interpretation of the law. Theoretically at least, clients could therefore be exposed to significant legal risk in event that operators are caught violating the relevant statutory requirements.

TravelSafe pioneered the advancement of environmentally responsible protection methods in South Africa and upon the Africa continent to shield clients from these risks, passing the benefits along to clients, which include reduced insurance premiums and higher levels of third party insurance cover as a result.

4.What capacity does the operator have to respond to a security crisis?

As low as the risks of a significant security incident during SWC may be, it is essential that security providers have a demonstrable capacity to respond quickly and effectively to any crisis or emergency situation. Effective incident response and crisis management depends upon the following best practice requirements:

• Operators should have a dedicated, 24/7 command and control facility;
• Ideally, multi-linguistic personnel should be available if required;
• Operators should have secure, efficient and reliable communications systems in place;
• The operator should have core competency in managing kidnap and hostage situations;
• Field personnel should have basic emergency medical training; and
• Ensure that your operator has comprehensive and rehearsed contingency plans in place for dealing with a range of emergency scenarios.

5.Am I really a VIP client?

Many clients quite rightly have an expectation that top-level protection services will be geared towards ensuring that clients are not only protected but are provided with a range of other VIP services. Too often, these expectations are not met because operators lack the 'VIP mentality', do not have capacity, or make use of sub-contractors who have little understanding of the client's specific requirements. If VIP treatment is a requirement, check ahead of time that the operator has the experience and capacity to deliver in this regard. Examples of relevant VIP protection services are the provision of an experienced liaison officer, professional interpreters if required, assistance with travel arrangements and other services that ensure a concierge-type protection experience.

Designed for companies sending personnel into high-risk environments, TravelSafe is a mulit-tier service recognised for providing best practice security advice, protective intelligence, travel management, VIP protection and crisis response. Built upon the heritage of services Pasco delivered to international witness protection agencies, TravelSafe has been chosen by a Royal Household, African Heads of State and the chief executives of global organisations and more recently, global corporations and participating football associations to ensure their safety during the 2010 World Cup. For more information contact Pasco