It has been called the 8th Wonder of the World. Palm Jumeirah is an iconic man-made island resembling a palm tree surrounded by an enormous crescent. It stretches its fronds into the crystal clear waters off Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At five kilometers in diameter, the Palm adds 120 kilometers of beach to the Dubai shoreline and is visible from space.
An unparalleled feat of engineering, Palm Jumeirah is a community of luxurious villas, apartments, marinas, parks, restaurants, a monorail, and high fashion establishments. Both Trump International and Atlantis have signature hotels on the site, and the QE2 is on its way to a permanent anchor at a palatial pier that stretches 300 meters from the trunk of the palm into the Arabian Gulf.
Palm Jumeirah is a visionary project of Nakheel, a multifaceted business based in Dubai. The company manages a range of unique residences on the Palm, including the Shoreline Apartments. An important selling point to Nakheel’s high-profile international clients and investors is the presence of 24-hour security patrols. To assist the officers on their tours, Nakheel selected Guard1 Plus. Mr. Jonathan Coy, with Nakheel Asset Management, provided the following details on the operation.
Describe the Shoreline Apartments.
Shoreline Apartments consists of 20 buildings, and Nakheel is responsible for controlling security in 16 of those buildings. Seven are 12 stories with about 145 apartments and facility rooms. The other six are 9 levels with 107 apartments and facility rooms.
What is the primary role of your organization?
An important part of our overall operation is dealing with and assisting customers who have concerns or complaints. From a security point of view, our primary role is to attend to building emergencies such as fires, thefts, water leakages, accidents, and property damages. We respond by handling the initial investigation of any incident that happens in the buildings or the immediate vicinity. The officers patrol the premises around the clock to monitor the status of all buildings.
What are the daily security duties and responsibilities?
Thirty-two officers conduct scheduled and random patrols throughout the Shoreline Apartments complex around the clock. The officers complete a fixed route that takes them in and out of the buildings at least four to five times a day, depending on the status of the area. During those tours, officers attend to and investigate major and minor incidents and customer complaints. Following a patrol, The PIPE is downloaded onto a personal computer, and then patrol information is printed for evaluation. Weekly, a report is submitted to the Nakheel Asset Management welfare and community manager for disposition.
How have you configured Guard1 Plus?
The PIPE has made the patrolling highly systematic. Each building has its own PIPE and the guards check in at buttons located strategically around the complex. In general, two buttons are placed on the rooftops of the left and right wings, and another two are placed on the two fire cabinets on each level of the buildings. Three buttons are on the exterior doors of each building’s clubhouse, basement, and pool or beach area; another is on the pool hut itself. One button is placed inside the fire hydrant cabinet in front of each building. On some buildings, buttons are located on the seaside and roadside basements and at the playground.
How do you use the Guard1 Plus reports?
We use the reports to check if the scheduled patrolling is being followed according to what has been determined in Guard1 Plus and to ensure that each area is being visited and checked. In the past, guards would individually log their activity, which led to errors and even cheating. Also, evaluating conditions over time was tedious at best.
What kind of security issues have you uncovered?
Guards have detected deactivated or defective electronic access doors and barriers as well as missing, malfunctioning, or misaligned CCTV cameras. They have also responded to incidents or complaints from residents who claim items have disappeared from their units. Also, the guards ensure that residents are obeying the rules and regulations set by Nakheel. The professional Guard1 Plus' reports have enabled us to gather information on these problems over time and evaluate selected responses, thereby saving administrative and managerial time. They ensure that our security guards are efficient and that the security function is a respected component of our retail operation.
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