Objectives

Founded and managed by residents of Emmarentia and Greenside, EGSA is a registered Section 21 (not-for-profit) company with the purpose of designing, implementing and monitoring proactive private security solutions for our two adjacent suburbs.

• EGSA believes that coordinated security planning enables bulk buying of services and is intrinsically more effective than the fragmented protection of competing security companies.
• Security plans and the security provider (ie. Fidelity) that EGSA has chosen were assessed for practicality, sustainability, affordability and effectiveness.
• By signing a contract with EGSA rather than an individual security provider, you are assured that service standards are monitored, and the designated service provider can be more easily replaced in the event of non-performance.

Most residents seem to appreciate that it is the initiative that should be the focus of our community support and not whether one security company is better than another. The Emmarentia Greenside Security Association will remain, no matter which security company is selected. It is the collective power of EGSA, managed by residents, that in our view stands the best chance of keeping crime under some form of control.

History

In May 2006, residents from Emmarentia and Greenside decided at annual general meetings of their ratepayers associations (ERA and GRA) that rising crime in our suburbs must be urgently addressed.  A volunteer committee researched possible solutions and decided that the best option was to form our own not-for-profit company in order to "bulk buy" security services from the best bidder.  We then worked through a process that included issuing a Request for Proposals and a tender process with interested security providers.  The initial round of responses was evaluated and none fully addressed our need for pro-active security.

We then went back to the drawing board and invited successful security companies from other residential areas to tender.  After their presentations, the committee chose to introduce iMvula to the residents.  EGSA a made several presentations to residents during May 2007 and the response of those who attended was overwhelmingly positive.  With this mandate, the Emmarentia and Greenside Security Association (EGSA) was registered as a Section 21 company (Reg No. 2007/024602/08) and marketing of the initiative began.

Towards the end of 2007 the area was hit by escalating crime, and it became apparent to the EGSA committee that proactive patrolling to improve security in the area was urgently required.  Under the original plan EGSA needed 300 households before this could happen but only about 130 households had already signed on. EGSA approached iMvula and requested that they assist by getting patrol vehicles on our roads. iMvula were unable to do this.

The EGSA committee then reopened discussion with other companies with experience in the field and has received the necessary support from Fidelity Security Services, another leader in the market.  Fidelity was not only willing to fit in with the existing EGSA contractual requirements and costings, but was furthermore willing to start patrolling and armed response services immediately.  EGSA welcomes Fidelity Security Services and looks forward to a long and safe business relationship.

Board Members

The current board of the EGSA is:

• Anne Askew – Chairperson
• Costa Vranas – Deputy Chairperson
• Alex Elliot – Secretary
• Chris Green – Treasurer
• Rod Crompton
• Greg Donoghue
• Gert Kotze
• John Cartwright

Administration

The EGSA is outsourcing all its administration, including database management, book keeping and legal services. When membership numbers reach appropriate levels, a full time administrator will be appointed.