When your industry is facing a manpower crunch, turn to technology. That was exactly what security agency Dragnet Smartech Security did.
The agency has been around for a number of years – almost three decades in fact. Despite being a veteran company, Dragnet has kept itself relevant by keeping up with the needs of the industry.
Five years ago, Dragnet General Manager Prasad Mogan understood that providing security services based on the headcount of officers would not be a sustainable approach for very much longer.
That was when the company decided to transition from a security agency that provided manpower services, to one that provides technological security services.
For a start, Dragnet set up a round-the-clock command centre that could monitor sites remotely in 2016. And by doing that, the company was able to rely less on warm bodies on the ground, and more on technology.
Now, instead of relying on two or three officers deployed at each site, Dragnet only needs one officer.
“There are also sites that have gone guardless, and now solely rely on our command centre. When we did the change, the officers who used to get deployed onsite are now upskilled as part of our command centre team,” explained Mr Prasad.
According to Mr Prasad, 70 per cent of what officers used to do on-site such as doing reports with pen and paper, can now be done virtually.
“We have been able to upskill many of our officers. With the use of technology, we have been able to redeploy officers to do more meaningful duties at more critical sites. If you look at residential sites, officers don’t do much. They sit at their post, take down vehicle numbers, bring barriers up and down. These are the sites we could make use of technology 100 per cent,” said Mr Prasad.
The concept was simple – a command centre that could watch over several sites at the same time. However, the buy-in from stakeholders such as clients and its own security officers was a challenge Dragnet had to address.
Initially, there was some pessimism from service buyers and sub-contractors when it came to the use of technology, said Mr Prasad candidly. In fact, there was also friction from his own employees, he admitted.
“Actually, we put a lot of focus on getting the buy-in from our employees. For the use of technology in the industry to succeed, I think the core thing is to convince our officers who are on the ground. Only when they believe there is value in using technology and being upskilled, would we be able to deliver value-added services to our clients,” said Mr Prasad.
To get them on board, working hours were reduced from a labour intensive 12-hour six-day work week, to eight-hour shifts. The officers were also offered better remuneration packages.
“When the officers understood that with the new concept, they would be better off compared to the old way of doing things, that was when we got them onboard the idea. Only when they are onboard, can they be more productive. This then becomes a successful service, which erodes any resistance from the clients,” said Mr Prasad.
Dragnet was also a first mover in implementing the Progressive Wage Model in the company before it became mandatory for the security industry. Additionally, the company gives its employees 10 to 21 days of annual leave, and also paid family care leave.
“One of our core values is that our employees are our internal customers. That philosophy has worked for us. When our employees are on the ground, they are also our ambassadors. We are always looking at what is best for them. It’s not just about remuneration and bonuses, it is also about upskilling and transforming so they can remain relevant and competitive in the industry,” said Mr Prasad.
For its contributions to improving the lives of its employees and the security industry, Dragnet was awarded the Plaque of Commendation at this year’s May Day Awards.
