Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Canadian Idol Auditions



Having recently provided security for the 2008 Canadian Idol auditions, I would like to take a moment to thank my crew who ran the event and as well congratulate all the contestants who were brave enough to attend and audition for the judges.

The event itself took place at Metrotown in Burnaby and the CTV studios in Downtown Vancouver over a period of several days and without a doubt our entire focus of operations was obviously on crowd control, as what seemed to be thousands of people turned out as early as 5 in the morning for their shot at stardom.

What’s great about this whole audition process is watching all the talented young people practice their singing and form camaraderie as they await their turn. The allowance of instruments proved interesting too, with many musicians strumming away to the delight of all who came to watch the entire process.

Best of luck to all the B.C. contestants and remember that Genesis Security will be in your corner cheering you all on!!!!!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

BC Business Magazine Article


I was going through some of the publications that I read on a regular basis and came across an article that was posted in B.C. Business Magazine in the January edition. The article is in reference to our Undercover Loss Prevention Team; a team we manage through the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association that is contracted primarily to protect members of the DVBIA and their property from theft and vandalism.

It’s a really good read based on one reporters experience following two of our team members around for the day.

Excerpts include:

“It would take a veritable army of people to tag, monitor and trail the dealings of these seedy characters and the numerous petty and more serious offenses that occur on an average day in downtown Vancouver. Goertzen and Mota, with their earpieces, intimate knowledge of Vancouver’s gritty street life and CSI-type jargon, seem like your typical undercover cops. Except they’re not. They’re loss-prevention officers working for Genesis Security Group under contract to the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), and their beat is a bustling 90-square-block area that’s home to some 8,000 businesses.”

“Both Jones and VPD spokesperson Constable Howard Chow cite a recent case when co-operation between police and private security helped to quickly solve a serious crime. Last August security cameras captured the brazen assault and robbery of a Vancouver senior as he exited the foyer of Holy Rosary Cathedral. When the VPD distributed a photograph, loss-prevention officer Mota immediately recognized the suspect, a 43-year-old man known by locals as an aggressive panhandler. The following day, Mota led police directly to the spot where the individual frequently loitered and authorities moved in for the arrest.”

With 400 to 500 arrests every year, this is a program that is proven to be valuable both to members of the DVBIA and the community itself.

For the record, B.C. Business Magazine is the most widely read business magazine in the province and also the winner of the 2007 BC/Yukon Magazine of the Year. It has been published for over thirty years by Canada Wide Media Limited who is the largest independent magazine publisher in Western Canada.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Operation Cooperation Nets Bank Robbery Suspect




Operation Cooperation is an initiative in which the Vancouver Police Department shares information with private security and participates in sting operations. The latest of such an operation in which Genesis Security participated in was the use of our Undercover Loss Prevention Team, which we administer through the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the L.P. Team and their role within the DVBIA, they are trained to protect members and their property from theft and vandalism. Specific areas of focus are retail stores, office towers, hotels, parkades and public events. It is designed to work in partnership with the Downtown Ambassadors® Program, the Vancouver Police Department, contract and in-house security, transit security and the provincial automobile insurance agency (ICBC).

True to their definition, their latest objective within the scope of Operation Cooperation was to assist in monitoring certain financial institutions throughout the Downtown core, observing and reporting on any of the known suspects who have been a major problem as of late in reference to committing robberies on a repeated basis.

Two of our Loss Prevention Officers were conducting surveillance as requested in the last week of January, resulting in them spotting one of the suspects who had earlier been captured on CCTV committing several robberies throughout the area. Upon following the individual they were able to witness him enter into a financial institution and participate in a robbery right in front of their very eyes.

As the suspect exited the bank, they followed him up the street while waiting for police assistance to arrive. Unfortunately, the suspect began to walk very fast and break into a run at times, so at this point our team members made the decision to apprehend him right away; an act they were able to manage without incident I might add.

It should be noted that usually we would never apprehend a bank robber without police assistance, however because of Operation Cooperation we were aware that this particular subject worked in an unarmed capacity.

The V.P.D. arrived a very short time later and took the subject into custody and our team was on their way, once again patrolling the downtown streets doing what they do best.

Congratulations team, this is another excellent example of why this program is so good on so many different levels.