Political instability keeps security companies busy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Security companies have mushroomed in the
\ncapital amid the economic instability and political tension
\nweighing heavily on the minds of most city residents.<\/p>\n
The companies, which mostly charge their clients in U.S.
\ndollars, provide a range of services, from e-mail security
\nbulletins warning clients to avoid certain areas of the city
\nbecause of the possibility of violence to designing contingency
\nplans ahead of the elections.<\/p>\n
Employing professional investigators, former police and
\nmilitary members, the companies main clients are multinational
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
The director of a Hong Kong-based security company which
\nopened a branch here in 1995, said that besides his company at
\nleast five other world-renowned security firms had opened
\nbranches here over the past four years.<\/p>\n
"They are Kroll, Guardian, Control Risks, Pinkerton's and AGI.
\nThis is excluding us," the executive, who asked for anonymity,
\ntold The Jakarta Post at the Regent Hotel on Friday evening.<\/p>\n
The director said his security company currently had some 80
\nmultinational firms as clients, a sharp rise over the 12
\nmultinational firms it served in 1995.<\/p>\n
The multinational firms make up 99 percent of the company's
\ntotal clients, he said, insisting the Post not publish the name
\nof his firm.<\/p>\n
The company's branch here has 34 employees, including two
\nformer members of the Australian police's counterterrorism unit,
\na former aviation officer for the Hong Kong police, at least
\nthree former members of the Hong Kong special police force and
\neight bodyguards.<\/p>\n
"We have strong links with intelligence officers, the military
\nand the police here to help us with updated information," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The company began e-mailing bulletins to its clients during
\nthe 1997 general election.<\/p>\n
Also present at the Regent Hotel on Friday were the firm's
\npresident and a technical adviser on contingency plans.<\/p>\n
The firm was responsible for the evacuation of 375 people from
\none company during the May 1998 riots, the company's president
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"We anticipated the (May) riots after the government announced
\nit was trying to raise fuel prices. We gave crash briefings
\nbeforehand to companies here," said the president, who is a
\nformer aviation officer.<\/p>\n
He said that in the case of the November riots, his security
\nfirm told multinational companies beforehand to take a holiday on
\nNov. 13, the day 15 people were killed.<\/p>\n
"The embassies here and our client companies asked us why were
\nwe sending their people home. We told them that we expected
\nsomething big to happen. It did."<\/p>\n
The director said that if a multinational company wanted
\nsecurity services, its corporate security department would
\ncontact a security firm's overseas headquarters, which would then
\nassign its Jakarta branch to provide the services.<\/p>\n
He said his branch on Jl. Belitung I in Kebayoran Baru, South
\nJakarta, charged hourly rates for the protection of VIPs, CEOs or
\ncompany executives.<\/p>\n
"For one bodyguard, it's US$20 for one hour and minimum usage
\nis four hours. If the bodyguard is needed for a day, a week or a
\nmonth, different rates apply," the director said.<\/p>\n
The president said that if a person was facing a high-level of
\nthreat, he would need a team of people to closely guard him.<\/p>\n
"It could go as high as $600 and upwards a day," he said.<\/p>\n
The technical adviser said preparing a contingency plan took
\nbetween two to three days for a large organization and just one
\nday for a small organization.<\/p>\n
"This includes finding a safe place where the employees can be
\nmoved to. The plan is also about exhaustive surveys of certain
\nareas and routes which will be used to reach that safe place,"
\nthe adviser said.<\/p>\n
"It's a case-by-case situation. It could mean not taking the
\ntoll roads, but different routes to reach that safe place or the
\nairport or just going out of the city."<\/p>\n
Pinkerton's, a 149-year-old security company with 14 branches
\nacross Asia, has seen the number of its clients here rise by at
\nlest 300 percent since last year's May riots. Most of its clients
\nare multinational companies seeking contingency plans for any
\nfuture unrest.<\/p>\n
The general manager of the local Pinkerton's branch, Jeremy
\nReynolds, said that his office, opened four years ago in the
\nMenara Dea building on Jl. Mega Kuningan Barat, had 15 technical
\nadvisers working on contingency plans requested by dozens of
\nmultinational companies.<\/p>\n
Jeremy said that for a big organization with several branches
\nnationwide, a survey of locations would take at least two weeks
\nat a cost of about $1,600 per day.<\/p>\n
"A big plan takes at least a week to write. Clients include
\nchemical and oil companies. Pinkerton's handles 30 to 40 local
\ncompanies here," Jeremy told the Post by phone. (ylt)<\/p>",
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