The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) held its annual South African conference at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on 26 July 2019. The event came together through the efforts of Andre du Venage, chairman of TAPA South Africa, and Massimo Carelle, who serves on the committee of the TAPA South Africa working group, in coordination with Dominique Bowen, events manager at Technews Publishing.
Current and future developments
Following a welcome given by du Venage, the recently appointed president and CEO of TAPA EMEA, Thorsten Neumann, informed delegates on the ways in which TAPA can help manufacturers and logistics service providers achieve supply chain resilience. It does this by providing tools such as:
• Security standards for facilities, trucking and secure parking.
• A cargo crime incident intelligence database to help plan secure supply chains and manage risk.
• A route mapping tool to avoid crime hotspots.
• Online and classroom security training.
• Intelligence sharing and networking conferences and events.
Neumann underlined the many threats that face today’s supply chains, which include terrorism, cyberattacks, organised crime gangs, opportunists, fraudulent pick-ups, manipulation of online freight exchanges, bogus police stops, truck hijackings, ‘curtain-cutting’ of parked trailers, thefts from moving vehicles, internal thefts and clandestine intrusions.
He also emphasised that many attacks now involve violence or the threat of violence, with more and more criminals using weapons, and innocent lives being lost. According to his presentation, the true cost of loss can be five to seven time the value of the stolen goods. In Europe alone, one EU study estimated the cost of cargo crime to be some 8.2 billion Euros annually.
One of the most powerful tools TAPA provides, and therefore one of the major benefits of becoming a TAPA member, is the Incident Information Service (IIS), which provides cargo risk and incident alerts; a searchable crime database; insights into when and where losses occur; updates on criminals’ modus operandi; monthly, quarterly and annual intelligence reports; and a route planning tool to avoid hotspots and park securely.
He also outlined the importance and benefits of adopting TAPA’s certified industry standards, which include the Facility Security Requirements (FSR), Trucking Security Requirements (TSR) and Parking Security Requirements (PSR) standards. Currently under development are enhancements such as a modular approach to TSR, multi-site FSR certification, and supply chain cybersecurity standards.
Behaviour pattern recognition vs. ethnic profiling
Eytan Nevo, managing director of ATL (Advisory, Technology and Logistics) SA, delved into behavioural detection/behavioural pattern recognition (BPR), which is essentially a more politically correct term for profiling.
He used the example of how customs officials at airports approach the difficult task of identifying people who may be potential threats. Rather than looking for illegal items, they focus on the person, and are on the lookout for any ‘red flags’, or combinations of red flags, that may tip them off that something is amiss.
Nevo addressed why profiling need not necessarily be a dirty word and how it can be used effectively without discrimination. On the face of it, profiling appears to be subjective, but in fact profilers are looking at reactions rather than the person themselves. For, example, profiling for a Muslim man who might be carrying a bomb doesn’t actually work, because there have been infamous cases where terrorists have duped friends or family members into unwittingly carrying bombs in their luggage.
Speaking to the conference’s theme, Nevo pointed out that a layered approach can be applied throughout the various areas of an airport to achieve the ‘five Ds’ objectives: deter, detect, delay, deny, defend.
The role of an effective treasury function
Neil Le Roux from Diligent Advisors explained how business continuity (BC) is as much a risk to the security of a logistics company’s assets as any other risk. Throughout TAPA’s TSR and FSR standards, themes such as risk mitigation, safeguarding of assets, industry best practices all relate to business continuity.
He suggested that, to be a responsible service provider to the South African transport and logistics industry, companies should focus on two key areas of corporate treasury:
1. Corporate cash management – manage the risk of underfunding and maximise return on idle funds.
2. Currency risk – match income and expenses, control the timing and size of deals, and planning.
Le Roux informed the audience on the various financial mechanisms that are available to achieve these objectives, including hedging, forward exchange contracts, and collaring. He also emphasised that business risk analyses and the resulting policies and procedures need to be formalised and driven at board level, because similar to other TAPA prescriptions, an effective treasury function does not happen by accident, but is rather a product of meticulous and diligent planning by knowledgeable and experienced personnel.
Firearm law vs. criminal law
When it comes to the unfortunate necessity for people transporting cash and other goods to carry a firearm, it is important to know the legal requirements and what your rights are. HFG Attorneys’ Heinrich Gonzales detailed the constitutional rights to access of information, just administrative action and access to courts, and how they apply to firearm law.
His presentation made it clear that the current situation is anything but clear. For example, in 2018 the Northern Gauteng High Court decided in the matter of ‘Minister of Safety and Security v South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association’ that sections 24 and 28 of the Firearms Control Act of 2000 are unconstitutional. However, this decision was overturned by the Constitutional Court, which means that the decision of the Northern Gauteng High Court is of no effect and force.
Luckily for gun owners in South Africa, he said, there is outstanding litigation against the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Minister of Safety and Security by the Gun Owners of South Africa (GOSA) and the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) in the so-called ‘green licences case’ of 2009.
This provides interim protection for South African gun-owners, but there is still much controversy and confusion concerning the various different types of gun licences that have been in effect at different times, and what their validity is today. The result is that many firearms that were legally obtained and licenced are strictly speaking illegal, but on the plus side SAPS is considering an amnesty policy while the ongoing “complete disorder and chaos” gets sorted out in the courts.
Closing remarks and sponsors’ presentations
Massimo Carelle closed proceedings by going through the various security layers that are addressed by the TAPA standards, namely:
• Perimeter.
• Outside walls, roof and doors.
• Office and warehouse entry and exit points.
• Inside warehouse and office.
• Security systems; design, monitoring and responses.
• Training and procedures.
• Workforce integrity.
Throughout the day, presentations were given by the various sponsors of the conference, highlighting what their companies offer to the South African logistics sector. The sponsors in question were Bridgewater Logistics, DQS, Online Intelligence, Pulsit and TopicWorks.
Bridgewater Logistics – Richard Venter, general manager
We are proud to announce that in the year since our last TAPA conference, we have added a fully-fledged truck stop/centre which started as a humble parking area for trucks, with a small canteen and ablutions, but now offers the following benefits and services over and above mere truck parking:
• It is a TAPA approved facility – the first in Africa.
• Truck wash which can wash a 22 m super-link in a mere 10 minutes.
• Truck tyre fitment centre.
• Valet car parking for travellers from OR Tambo International Airport. We meet you at the airport, drive your car to our secure facility, and meet you upon your return with a washed car.
• A 400 square metre, fully licenced restaurant offering a wide variety of quick meals to full sit-down menu.
• Contract truck parking.
Situated at 9 Maple Road, Pomona, Kempton Park, the facility has 24-hour security and armed response, and is probably the safest facility of its kind locally.
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