AZtech Security

28/03/2019

Just putting this out there. Don't listen to folk stories. Rather learn the truth. This is how criminals get past electric fencing...

Many people believe criminals climb over electric fences, which is why they build high walls with electric fences on the top. This is mostly incorrect.

07/06/2018

Over a year of gathering evidence, working with attorneys, defying attempts to silence me, I am now putting this into a public poll, to reference just how much public interest this issue holds.

Does the public want transparency and accountability?

Our Neighbourhood Watches are important. But who really are they protecting? Constantia Valley Watches Association (CVWA, CVIC, BKM, WYNBERG CPF SECTOR 4 SUB FORUM) has currently come under the spotlight relating to allegations of unethical accounting practices and poor management of community funds...

26/04/2018

While new LPR camera technology can be a great tool for fighting crime, what dangers do they bring? Since LPR cameras record the location and movements of ALL passing vehicles, just how valuable does that information become?

LPR data is stored on a database, who holds access to that database? Who ever holds the keys to this database holds all the power, as American citizens are already finding. Need to know the movements of someone or need to know where they have gone and how often? Well if you know the right people, you can get that info. But at the right price.

And that captured LPR info also has many other uses that can be monetized. Such as car repossessions for financial institutions or vehicle rental companies where clients have defaulted on repayments, where these vehicles are then recovered for reward. Who benefits, are such rewards forwarded to the neighborhood watches who purchased the LPR cameras originally that detected the "default" vehicle? Or private companies who instead have access to the LPR database?

In such instances organisations are often left in the dark, oblivious to the knowledge of how their cameras are used to collect data, which is then processed further to create alternative profit. While American's already complain about such invasions of privacy, luckily SA already has a law that can offer protection: the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 only permits a "public body" to collect and process such information that can be used to identify the data subject (in this case vehicles) where such data relates to the commission of crime. Under definitions of this same Act public bodies are listed as state enterprises, provincial or municipal entities, if such are duly authorized.

Does this mean we can lose this valuable technology used to combat crime? On the contrary, if in fact the City of Cape Town acts as a watchdog and assumes control of such recorded data and instead has all collected data from these LPR's directly streamed to their existing, state of the art facility at the TMC control centre, it can ensure maximum efficiency by combining all the different LPR databases together and achieving even better results!

Will neighborhood watch Patrollers still receive alerts as before? Yes, even more so. Patrollers have always been considered a valuable resource to the City as "eyes and ears." By integrating all databases together and linking all City services together, response networks can be fully utilized including Patrollers, private security service providers, SAPS, Metro, Law Enforcement, Traffic Services, and more.

This will then mean that private entities or companies, as already prohibited within the POPI Act, will no longer be able regulate and control such commercial owned databases but this also means citizens can rest assured such stored personal information concerning their vehicles movements are secure and confidential. Recorded data can then only be accessed by approved controllers within the TMC and under certain regulations. Captured and stored data will no longer be restricted and privileged to only select individuals who are favoured by the owners of the database and no more will such stored information be used to create additional profit for persons having access to these databases. Not uncommon in Cape Town, vehicle repossession agents were already filmed operating in the Constantia Valley after having received access to info from a privately operated LPR database.

Without a doubt License Plate Technology has become a powerful resource in the fight against crime, such power must be protected to ensure equipment and installed infrastructure remains efficient and effective.

Police use them to fight crime, we're talking about license plate readers. They are mounted on police cars that scan license plates.

06/03/2018

Heard about LPR technology or license plate recognition? Something relating to this been used in the Southern suburbs of Cape Town bothers me.
On Saturday 24th February, I shared my findings on the Facebook Muizenberg noticeboard, on a new License Plate Recognition camera I had been testing. The next day I had received comments on the post by two people, one in particular was Gary Scagell whom I felt proceeded to try and discredit me and silence me from bringing what seemed to me to be important and useful info to the public. While not a new technology, LPR cameras have been seeming to receive much attention within our communities of late and within the neighbourhood watch structures.
Admittedly, my post was more than just wanting to perform a "product review on a camera." I was also seeking to initiate broader conversations around LPR options within our community structures so that these could be reviewed, the technology understood and communities then able to make informed purchasing decisions. I have been involved in the security industry since 2002, I have worked as a technician then consultant for numerous security companies before opening my own technical security solutions company in 2012. I have no commercial interest in LPR currently, nor do I intend to have commercial interests in LPR. I have served as a volunteer Law Enforcement officer since 2015 and have spent hundreds of hours working for our community.
During my time working in the community I have seen some things which concern me. To put it bluntly, I have concerns about the relationship that Constantia Valley Watches Association (CVWA) has with Verifier and Mr Scagell’s company, Visec. (Or rather, the other way around. Their relationship with CVWA.) CVWA is a registered Public Benefit Organization (PBO). SARS has very strict rules for Public Benefit Organisations: they must " use their funds responsibly and solely for their stated objectives, without any personal gain being enjoyed by any person including the founders and the fiduciaries." Over the years many in the community have come to question what seem to be business activities within the Constantia Valley Watches Association and raised concern over the relationships held with related businesses within the industry.
I myself was surprised when I had attended a CVWA AGM and noted a charge listed on their balance sheet which was briefly displayed on a screen: over R700 000 for operational consulting fees. In a organization meant to be working within the community, for the community, how is it that consulting needs to be carried out at that scale?
One of the board members then rather resigned and instead has since been employed by the CVWA as a consultant; this same person also markets his security consulting company. The long-time Chair of the CVWA is also the owner of Verifier, which is the “offsite monitoring partner” of Visec. Both Visec and Verifier actively market LPRCloudsa, the operational hub of which seems to be the CVWA’s subsidiary Constantia Valley Information Centre (CVIC). In my response to Mr Scagell last week I performed a online search of his company and came across his business listing where he gave as his business address the address of this Public Benefit Organisation CVWA, which also is (or certainly was for some time) the address of Verifier, and questioned this. A day later my post had been removed from the online public forum.
Additionally it disturbs me that there are communities paying to have these cameras installed and paying a monthly membership fee, where the information collected from these cameras is fed into a database that even though it is purported to have been donated for "community use," may actually be used for other purposes. This database of "collected license plate information" can essentially be used by select individuals or private entities for profitable means, unbeknownst to the communities and neighbourhood watches who have paid for these cameras and services. I’m concerned about the governance of this – who is it that ensures that this does not happen?
I write this letter as an open letter, with the intention that these questions can be asked and hopefully answered. I hope it should serve the ultimate purpose of enabling our communities to become safer by enabling us to make informed decisions regarding our community safety and the initiatives surrounding this. I repeat some of the questions I asked in my now removed posts:
1. How are the following individuals related to CVWA and how do they and their businesses benefit, either directly or indirectly by their association with CVWA?
a.) Mike Voortman (chairman of CVWA and owner of Verifier- offsite CCTV monitoring)
b.) Tony Schreiber (co-founder of BKM,ExCo board member of CVWA, resigned to become Operations Manager of CVWA, also owns Schreiber Consulting)
c.) Gary Scagell (owner of Visec SA division, LPR software)
2. Tony Schreiber is the operations manager of CVWA with Mike Voortman as the chairman. Do either of them have any shares or financial interest in Visec or in the systems developed by Visec?
3. Verifier and Visec have both listed their business addresses as Sondelani House, 8 Coniston Way Constantia, the same address as the CVWA control room CVIC. What infrastructure is or has been shared, and what activities? Is SARS happy with these arrangements? Would this not constitute a business advantage for Verifier particularly, and is this in accord with the SARS rules governing PBOs?
4. There have been accusations that the data collected from LPR cameras has been generating remuneration. Is this true? Is there an independent audit of this – which is not conducted by the commercial entities involved?
5. Verifier is listed as a authorised distributor of Visec products, one of which is LPRCloudsa, which seems to be run out of CVWA’s CVIC. Can this be right? Ethical? Legal?

10/02/2018

Not good news but no logical person can deny this form of reasoning... the harsh truth is not always what we want to hear.

Lets get straight to the point. It all comes down to the general competitive nature of the security industry, and in fact, any industry in Africa. As

19/12/2017

So now you will be arrested because you have an electric fence? While this law firm got some of the regulations confused, the message is still important.

Contact us to find out how to not only make your electric fence complaint but also effective- no intruder must be able to touch it or get over!

Electric fencing remains a popular security solution in South Africa – but stringent laws mean that if someone is injured by yours, you could face a hefty fine or even jail time.

16/12/2017

This burglary occurred earlier this month, with these two criminals caught on CCTV as they steal the flat screen TV. Don't become a victim.

11/06/2017

For some Grand Theft Auto becomes a reality. To avoid your vehicle from being stolen, learn some of the methods used by criminals today.
https://youtu.be/HzhPNzUFYgQ

JELLY GUMMY BEAR► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2juHk2GAbgAuhMzg5FF0bA You have probably heard news about the car of a neighbor, an acquaintance or any o...

03/04/2017

Our pricing should be the only surprise this Easter...

03/04/2017

Some CCTV footage of a Crowbar attack on a house in Tokai some time back. By now everyone should know the common methods used by thieves today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWIF00naYVU

This is how doors are crowbarred open - quickly with no fear of repercussion. Happened during August in the Tokai area.

28/03/2017

Rather have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it...

Three armed home invaders, all in their teens, are dead after choosing the wrong home in Oklahoma to rob this afternoon. They were met by the owner of the home's son who was armed with an AR-15 rifle. Shortly after the men broke into the home, they were all dead from gunshot wounds from the

16/01/2017

Veldfire along the banks of the Keyser River, close to Steenberg station.