Corporate Intelligence (6)
Will you be able to assist me with an enhanced due diligence inquiry in South Sudan?
We can certainly assist you with conducting an enhanced due diligence on a company or an individual in South Sudan.
However, unlike many other African countries, corporate filings are poorly maintained and do not accurately reflect the principals or shareholders in many registered companies.
As a result, we conduct primary source enquiries within the Government Ministries, Regulatory Authorities, media and specific competitors in order to source the information required to determine the level of reputational risks or lack of anti-corruption legislation compliance.
How do we know whether our company has to comply with the FCPA or the Anti-Bribery Act?
To determine your legal requirements in terms of compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the UK Bribery Act, it is advised that you follow one of these links: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa/ http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/23/contents
However, in simple terms, if you are an American company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and you have employees working in foreign countries who might bribe foreign officials for business purposes, then you will be at risk. If you are a British company or British national working for a company in a foreign country, and you make payments or give bribes to any individuals, your company could be prosecuted under the UK Bribery Act.
Can you conduct criminal and civil record searches on an individual?
We conduct criminal and civil record searches on any individual, in any African country based on full identifying particulars.
The challenge is to find the correct national identity number or similar identifier to confirm that the criminal and civil record searches refer to the right individual.
For example, every South African national is given a 13-digit national identification number on the registration of their birth. This national identity number consists of the subject’s date of birth, sex, residential status.
Criminal and civil record searches can only be conducted using this national identity number. If you do not have such a number, we can source it and thereby conduct the relevant searches.
What if the security situation within a country where our staff operates changes. Can you provide us with regular updates of the current situation and expected developments?
When your staff are working in an African country and that country experiences political, social or economic upheaval, you should be concerned as to the safety and security of your staff – both local and expatriates.
Often, the media reports provide a specific slant to their stories, but you need fact-based analysis and real-time reporting of events, as they unfold on the ground. Using our network of assets and sophisticated communications technology, we provide you with an accurate and up-to-date insight as to what is happening and how your staff could be affected.
By using our Predictive Intelligence Methodology (PIM), you will receive regular daily updates as the crisis unfolds and be able to make an informed business decision.
We are looking to enter into the emerging markets in Africa and possibly form joint ventures with other companies. How do we verify the legitimacy of the companies?
Africa is a continent with nearly a billion consumers and offers many business opportunities across a range of services and sectors. Several African countries are witnessing growth rates of over 7% per annum and provide opportunities for investment.
Yet, Africa is a continent on which reputation and fortunes are made and lost in a day. Corruption in Africa is endemic and limited rule of law is the most common experience to those involved in litigation.
Therefore, to ensure that you understand the potential risks to your profits and reputation, we conduct Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) on companies and Background Intelligence (BI) on individuals so that you can make an informed business decision before committing further time and resources to a potential joint venture (JV).
What type of information do you need from me in order to provide me with a quote?
Before sending you a budget and timescale, we conduct our own research to complement the information you provide. Using this process, we are able to determine whether we can execute your brief in a timely and cost-effective manner. If so, we will send you our proposal document which confirms how we will satisfy your intelligence requirements, at what fee and within what timeframe. In this way, you will know exactly what type of intelligence you will receive, when and for how much.
If your initial brief does not contain sufficient information for us to carry out our own research, we will advise you accordingly and await further information.
Technical Surveillance Counter Measures (4)
What do you do before conducting a TSCM sweep?
Before we conduct a TSCM sweep, we have a meeting offsite with the Client. The purpose of this meeting is to establish the following:
The level of threat
This level of threat will vary from LOW (off-the-shelf consumer spy equipment) to HIGH (custom-developed sophisticated kit that is not commercially available).
Building history
It is important to understand the history of a building or the target area in order to consider the possibility of recording devices having been planted during construction or forgotten by previous tenants.
Ease of access
Information is required about who has access to the sensitive areas of the facility; and how target areas are secured from the illicit placement of new devices.
Based on the above information, the equipment and personnel required for the TSCM sweep will be selected and sent to your premises.
When do you conduct a TSCM sweep?
For operational security reasons, the sweep should be conducted without alerting suspicion. Whilst it is preferable to conduct a sweep outside of normal business hours, such as evenings or weekends, other operational considerations must be addressed.
For example, by setting up a fictitious but plausible meeting during business hours, an eavesdropper could be prompted to activate a range of devices which can then be detected by the sweep team.
Do you conduct a physical search of the target area?
We believe that a physical search is the root of all counter-surveillance work and overlaps other technical procedures that are used.
Our physical search is conducted in a thorough manner and a close visual inspection is undertaken, especially of cabling, file boxes, computer equipment, smoke detectors, wall clocks and desk lamps. In this way, a physical search will uncover wired microphones, passive resonators, inactive remote controlled transmitters and any dormant surveillance devices.
What do you do when you detect an electronic surveillance device?
Sometimes, our clients become angry when devices are found and want to rip them from the walls or concealed conduits.
Rather than destroying the surveillance units, we often recommend that the devices should be left in place and that an operation of control leakage be taken. By replacing the power source with a weaker one, and positioning covert cameras to monitor access and egress to the target area, you can often discover the identity of individuals involved in placing and servicing surveillance devices.
Security Management (6)
What security areas do you cover in your Security Management consultancy services?
As professional Security Management consultants, and one of a few in Africa who are Board certified in both Security Management and Competitive Intelligence, we provide a range of unique, yet proven, solutions for the protection of your four corporate assets: property, people, information and reputation.
Can you develop security policies and procedures for start-ups and new businesses?
Yes, we have extensive experience of developing the necessary security policies and procedures to ensure that the right people take responsibility for security within the organisation.
Can you conduct vetting and background checks on executives working in various African countries?
Based on the individual’s identifying particulars we source background intelligence to confirm the bona fides or identify moral hazard about executives whom you might consider recruiting for senior management positions. Similarly, should you require background intelligence on managers before their promotion, or applicants before their recruitments, we will conduct the necessary checks to enable you to proceed with confidence.
Can you save me money by conducting a security review at my business premises?
We have saved our Clients a substantial amount of cash based on a review of their actual manpower guarding requirements. Too often, procurement and contract managers are not security trained and lack an understanding of the risks within their working environment. Guarding companies exploit this lack of knowledge and sell guards as a security solution rather than integrating manpower within a technical solutions package.
Can you turn a security department from a cost centre into a profit centre?
The answer to this question depends on two factors: the level of Senior Management buy-in; and an understanding of the internal market for the security services you can offer. Sometimes, Senior Management wants security to be included in operating overheads. In other instances, independent business units will negotiate their own prices with external security service providers.
Therefore, the solution is to pursued Senior Management that a corporate security department can generate income and contribute to the company’s bottom line like any other business unit.
Before conducting a Security Management consulting service, how do you charge?
Like all the business we conduct, we provide a fixed budget and timescale based on the Client’s brief of Scope of Works. By comprehensively understanding your brief and requirements, we develop an intervention plan to provide you with a cost-effective Security Management solution. Once our budget is agreed upfront, we will charge a pro-rata amount during the course of the project. In this way, you will know exactly how much you will need to spend and what the end product will be.
