People have a different attitude towards security since the series of riots and bomb blasts that have rocked the country in recent years. Wealthy Jakarta residents are now more concerned about their own security when they are in a public places.

Many now expect to be inspected by guards when entering a hotel or nightclub. It was not so before the bold headlines of the bomb attack in front of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta or in JW Marriott Hotel.

Most Jakartans used to believe that security matters were the sole business of the police. They often did not want to participate in self defense exercises and ignored civil defense teams and secu rity guards.

However, these days, security has become an integral part of the lives of both individuals and companies.

Former Jakarta police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara believes to best protect their business, every company should have their own security consultant. He does not think security products are too costly.

“In this modern age, you can easily check the prices. What needs to be understood is that security efforts are not a cost but an investment,” he said.

Security firms with their mix of consultants, security personnel, training staff and systems are now well-established in the capital and many are often specialized for different kinds of business.

PT Environmental Indokarya, also called Arla Service Co. concentrates on supplying security staff to more than 10 embassies in Jakarta, in addition to providing guards to other institutions like banks and cultural institutions. Since 1999, this company, based in Gedung Lina, Kuningan, has trained and employed 900 security guards.

Shield Indonesia, meanwhile, specializes in oil companies. In peak production periods they provide more than 5,000 security guards to these companies.

In the guards business there are four big players; PT Group 4 Falk, (also known as Securicor), Security 911, PT Shield Indonesia and PT Gardatama Nusantara.

“Some of these companies have shown a downturn in their business but the cause is mismanagement, rather than a small market potential,” an industry observer said.

Meanwhile, small security companies that provide more customized services to smaller companies are no less aggressive in offering their services. CV Laras Indo Makmur, for example, claims to provide security services using a sophisticated security system technology.

This company provides all kinds of security services for residences, hotels, villas, laboratories, offices, factories, swallows’ nests and so forth.

Using the latest technology, this company guards clients’ asset without deploying many stand-by guards. Monitoring is done through the internet and wireless devices. Cameras and alarm systems are connected to police stations so police are on call when a crime is committed.

There are an increasing number of companies selling these kinds of security products and there were a large array of devices on show in an exhibition held at the Jakarta Convention Center recently.

PT Anugrah Teknik Abadi, is a company that sells level-2 bulletproof vests, and X-ray glasses that allow the wearer to see the contents of a bag or find concealed weapons. It also sells various kinds of cell-phone bugging devices (GSM 800/900 Mhz or CDMA) and mini-telephone bugging devices to guard against industrial espionage.

The business is booming, especially for monitoring devices like CCTVs (closed circuit television). Jesselindo Electronics Security System last year posted Rp 1 billion in sales for a Malaysian CCTV system.

It hopes to increase its turnover this year with its cutting edge IT fastdoom CCTV sets, with quick surveillance and cameras that can turn up to 300-degrees.

Meanwhile, PT Mega Matrix System says things are good for its DVR (disc video recording) CCTV set that can be connected to the internet, currently selling well at US$5,800 a unit. “Last year we sold 60 units. This year we have a set our target at 100,” the company’s sales manager said.

PT Indolok Bakti Utama, with its international certification, and many divisions — Chubbsafes, Fire Products, Electronic Security Systems, Fire Systems , Locking Products, Integrator and Contracting and Banking Automations — is another important security business.

PT Intisar Primula, which specializes in an automated data collection, has also seen a continued increase in the demand for its security-related products such as its access control equipment and security guard tour and monitoring systems.

“Taking a security approach has become a necessity in today’s business world,” marketing manager Minik Rinayanti said.

The company began to design and manufacture some of the devices it used to import following the financial crisis that hit Indonesia in late 1997. “This has made our products more (cost) competitive not only at home but also overseas,” she said.

The demand shown by Indolok’s large clients, such as embassies, multinational corporations, state-owned enterprises, banks proved this. “We do not just sell products but we also provide integrated services, from product design to after-sales services,” Bakti Utama branch marketing manager Lea K. Indra said.

With the establishment of new hotels and apartments, and the opening of new banks, hospitals, ATMs, all businesses that need tailored security products, the business is likely to continue to thrive.

While systems are not cheap they are generally tailored and priced for he size of your business.

Be thankful you are not the organizers of last year’s Athens Olympics who spent about US$1.2 billion all up on security. (Burhan Abe)

The Jakarta Post, April 26, 2005

To many parties, security procedures applied during the recent visit to Jakarta of U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice were excessive. Even Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said he was surprised upon seeing a photograph showing how uniformed and fully armed U.S. militarymen were involved in the security measures applied when Rice visited a Muslim school in Central Jakarta last month.

Like it or not, security is still a main concern of a state, including the United States, a country highly concerned about terrorism and bombings. It is undeniable, however, that bombings and acts of terror in a number of places have not only scared the public but have also made people realize that security threats are ever-present in their daily lives.

Indeed, although the police are now greater in number and have become more skillful in their capability, security risks in Indonesia remain high. Our business world is still fearful of bomb threats, robbery in the street, protest rallies, holdups and so forth.

Security is obviously expensive because what is at stake is not only your life but also your wealth. The price will become even higher if no consideration is given to security matters. Craig Foster, country manager of PT Hill Konsultan Indonesia, a consulting company dealing with security affairs, says that major or multinational companies operating in Indonesia are concerned about the security of their assets.

That is why security services are finding golden business opportunities. Thanks to all these security threats, security management services have in the last few years raked in high profits. Since 1999, the National Police, the institution responsible for overall security, has allowed the private sector to set up companies that provide security services to companies or individuals. Previously there were only 10 companies licensed for this purposed, but today over 200 local private companies offer security services in Indonesia.

“The market for the outsourcing of security services in Indonesia is indeed expanding,” said an executive of a security company.

As corporations focus more on their core business, he predicted that more and more clients would choose to meet their security service needs through an outsourcing company rather than employ their own security personnel. The reason is that hiring another company to meet their security needs keeps costs down. Besides, in the hands of professional personnel, security within their compounds will be of better quality. When a company hires outsourced security personnel, it can cut costs by 10 percent to 20 percent.

That’s why companies providing security services, like Cisco Mas, for example, are very much sought after. Cisco Mas, a joint venture company established by Singapore’s Cisco (51 percent) and Sinar Mas (49 percent), provides not only security equipment but also security escort services, particularly for those intending to carry large amounts of cash. Clients are generally companies in the banking or retail sectors. Usually they need this particular service when they collect cash, fill automated teller machines (ATMs) or carry out other activities that require an escort service.

Cisco Mas, which is under the supervision of Singapore’s Home Ministry, employs specially trained security personnel or makes use of security officers and policemen with specific skills. Each time they escort clients, they use a special vehicle that has a safe. Even in the worst possible situation, the assets remain secure.

Aside from Cisco Mas, Securicor is also worth mentioning as Indonesia’s most prominent security service company today. Securicor, the parent company of which British, provides three main services in integrated security, namely cash management services, guarding and an electronic security system.

To expand its electronic security system marketing network, Securicor Indonesia is developing a dealership program as a business partnership program in the marketing of a security system called Control Monitoring System (CMS) for houses, factories and small-scale enterprises. The CMS is an alarm system with a remote panel provided with a sensor to detect movement and a panic button. It is connected around-the-clock to the control system of Securicor, which in turn is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Meanwhile, PT Indolok Bakti Utama, a company selling security equipment and providing security services, has also built up a clientele. Set up in 1972 as part of Gunnebo AB, a global company in the International Security Group, this company makes available trained personnel capable of providing extra security to clients. Aside from being manned by highly skilled personnel, Indolok Security Patrols are also provided with state-of-the art equipment, including 24-hour monitoring controlled from its head office and backed up by security patrols.

In fact, said Lea K. Indra, marketing manager of PT Indolok Bakti Utama, security has a wide scope. The security of an office, for example, differs from the security of an office building. Indolok, whose main clients are made up of foreign embassies and major companies in the oil and mining sector, provides integrated security solutions, starting from a company’s outermost perimeter to its innermost part, namely starting from the road area in front of an office up to the office gate, the door to the building, the lobby, the lifts and the offices.

Security is also provided for other rooms, such as the data or document storage room, server rooms and so forth, including the emergency exit and stairwell as well as the parking area.

The examples above refer to areas that can be covered. The equipment or system used to cover these areas differs, depending on the purpose of a particular security service. Do you wish only to monitor people coming in and out or do you want to restrict access only to particular people? Are you preparing against someone or something entering your office or are you preventing someone or something from getting into your room?

“Office security is very broad in scope. A bank may also have a bomb blanket to reduce the impact of a bomb explosion, besides a CCTV and an alarm system, for example,” Lea said.

It is true that there is a general security system but in reality each client has their own requirements. Take, for example, a downtown lawyer’s office. The requirements of this office would differ from those of coal mining company in a remote area.

Obviously security has become a major concern. The threat of terrorism, a cause of great concern these days, has helped spur the development of security service businesses. Worldwide, the security service industry enjoys a growth of 7 to 9 percent a year. This development is seen not only in terms of visible security services but also in respect to continuously developing security equipment technology.

This trend is witnessed not only in the international arena but also in Indonesia. Following the bombing at JW Marriott Hotel in Kuningan, Jakarta, in August 2003, and bomb explosions on two different occasions in Bali, nearly every office building and hotel now has standard security equipment such as a metal detectors (hand-held or fixed at the gate) and CCTVs (installed at strategic locations).

In other words, the security equipment business and security services are booming. It is true that competition in this particular business has become ever keener and only by well-prepared companies will prevail. Much more important than the security equipment sold will be the services provided with this equipment. Likewise, in the security service business, much more important than the quality of the security personnel deployed will be a more comprehensive handling of a client’ security-related problems. (Burhan Abe)

The Jakarta Post, April 11, 2006