In addition to the electrical fence infrastructure, Atlantic Beach Estate’s perimeter is also protected by a state-of-the-art video analytic perimeter camera corridor, which allows for the entire perimeter of the Estate to be under 24-hour surveillance.
These static cameras form a camera corridor around the entire Estate, with one camera looking at, and slightly past, the next. There is therefore no danger whatsoever that these cameras can be used to view into Homeowners properties, thereby invading their privacy.
Any human entering this corridor will activate an alarm in the Control Centre and security officers will be called-out to respond if required. The main advantage of these cameras is that incursions or attempted incursions can be confirmed, which allows security to respond in force and for us to alert Homeowners. Continuous false or unconfirmed alarms would result in security officers becoming complacent, as without camera confirmation they would have no idea whether or not an incursion actually took place, unless the fence was damaged in some way.
Atlantic Beach Estate boasts state-of-the-art biometric or fingerprint access control systems and hardware for the entering and exiting of homeowners, their guests, staff and contractors. Visitor access is managed by a pre-clearance access control system, which allows Homeowners to pre-approve access to their properties by way of entry codes which can be sent to the guest via sms. On arrival and departure, a sms will be sent to the resident confirming the entry and exit of their guest.
High speed booms have been installed at all of the access points, making entering and exiting the Estate a painless experience for Homeowners.
The entire technical security infrastructure on the Estate is serviced and maintained daily by our full-time technician, employed exclusively for our Estate.
Longevity of service and the highest standards in respect of security personnel – is ensured by the Association by compensating all security staff working on the Estate with a hefty monthly site allowance. Security personnel wear badges on their uniforms which show their training credentials i.e. first aid, firefighting, snake catching etc.
Atlantic Beach Estate has a superb group of security officers, and residents are encouraged to support and nurture them to continue offering the best possible service. This can be achieved by simply making the effort to greet them when you enter or exit through any of the gates.
On duty 24 hours, the Association has an Emergency response vehicle (large double cab bakkie) which creates a visual security presence on the Estate and sends out a strong message that we are serious about crime prevention. This vehicle is equipped with strong communication and has built-in features like revolving spotlights that make searching a lot more effective when required.
Thorburn Security Solutions remain the Estate’s security service provider, both in respect of manpower and technical infrastructure.
The Estate’s onsite technical, manpower and emergency response infrastructures are all monitored and controlled on a 24-hour basis from an offsite control room situated in Goodwood. This offsite facility ensures 24-hour supervision and significantly reduces the risk of forceful incursions.
Despite our best efforts to prevent crime from occurring on the Estate, we are reminded that it does live amongst us, and Homeowners still need to apply basic security measures at home (like locking doors and closing accessible windows). We as a community need to be vigilant and work together in crime prevention.
Security remains the foremost reason for people buying on the Estate, so Management and the Board have resultantly, and will continue to, view this division accordingly.
EMERGENCY SERVICES AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT
On the disaster Management side, fire remains our biggest threat and our fire trailer and other firefighting equipment will assist us in reaching start-up fires that are not within reach of the fire hydrants on the Estate. The Association services and tests all fire hydrants on the Estate monthly. We also keep additional fire hose lengths on-hand as well as other firefighting equipment that will assist the officers to better contain fires.
A contract with ER24 (our preferred medical response service to the Estate) has resulted in some very positive outcomes. Quite a few homeowners can testify to the speed and quality of assistance received from both the initial reaction from our emergency response officers on the Estate, followed by the ER24 response vehicles and ambulance when required. This combination of response and support has indeed saved lives on the Estate.
The Koeberg Power Station’s disaster evacuation plan, as published by them, is distributed in January every year to all our residents. In the event of a nuclear evacuation, Koeberg and Cape Town Disaster Management will take charge of the Estate’s evacuation plan, as there are a number of variables that will affect the manner in which they will evacuate the area, if required. The main thing to remember in the event of such an evacuation is that Homeowners listen to and obey the instructions given via the communication towers situated throughout the Estate – or follow instructions on the radio.
Other local and municipal disaster Management agencies also have access to these communication towers on the Estate, and can therefore utilise these in the event of major threats like fire, tsunami etc.
With this state-of-the-art, reliable security solution concreted, we can provide Atlantic Beach Estate Homeowners with complete peace of mind for ultimate secure living.