Certis wins contract to secure 60 JTC properties in southern, western Singapore

A Certis security officer using Argus, a mobile app, to send location reporting at Space@Tuas. The security firm was awarded a three-year contract by JTC Corporation to secure more than 60 properties in southern and western Singapore. PHOTO: CERTIS

SINGAPORE - Security firm Certis will tap digital technology to deploy its officers more efficiently at more than 60 properties owned by JTC Corporation in the southern and western parts of Singapore.

Certis, which won a three-year contract with the statutory board to secure an area of 150 sq km, will monitor the properties remotely through a centralised security operations centre . The contract includes the option of a three-year extension.

Some of the technology that will be rolled out in the second quarter of next year include a multi-service platform that will integrate data from 150 streams of video analytics, 500 sensors such as fire alarms and lift fault sensors, as well as 1,200 CCTVs.

Called Mozart, the system will be used to coordinate recovery and response efforts.

Certis, which employs 16,000 people in Singapore, will also be using smart data analytics to make decisions on manpower and resource deployment in critical areas.

Its security officers will be equipped with a mobile app, called Argus, that will allow them to do security reporting and monitoring.

Apart from using technology, Certis officers will also be trained to identify, report and conduct troubleshooting for basic faults in the facilities, such as faulty lighting and water leakage.

Roving Certis officers will also patrol the cluster of properties so that they can respond quickly to incidents and deter illegal activities.

The contract is a win-win situation, as "Certis can enjoy higher productivity and resolve manpower issues, while JTC can provide a safe and secure environment for its customers and optimise resources", said Mr Heah Soon Poh, assistant chief executive officer of engineering and operations at JTC.

JTC is the lead government agency responsible for the planning and development of industrial infrastructure in Singapore. The industrial developer has more than 80 per cent of Singapore's industrial land under its care.

In February last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs, under the security industry transformation map, urged security companies to move away from just supplying manpower, and instead, also take advantage of technology to deliver security solutions more effectively.

Encouraging the security industry to move towards such contracts brings benefits to both the industry and its clients, Security Association Singapore president Raj Joshua Thomas told The Straits Times.

"Clients get more value for money, and security outcomes can be better achieved. On the industry side, by combining manpower and technology considerations at the tender stage, the security outcomes would make more sense and they would be achieved more easily," he added.

Ultimately, such contracts will help to address the manpower crunch, he added.

"If you look at the demographics of security officers, they tend to be a bit older in age. It may take some time for them to understand how to use the new systems and get used to that."

"However, I think now, with the constant emphasis by the authorities and associations, they understand that they have to take up technology to do their job. It's now a part of the job," he said.

Correction note: A previous version of this article referred to Certis as Certis Cisco. We are sorry for the error.

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