<\/p>\n

We all understand the risks associated with living in South Africa, but as an industry that handles the storage and transportation of high-value precious metals, gemstones and diamonds, we need to be especially cautious. Team CPM has compiled a list of the most prominent apps available and run them through the filter of what a South African jeweller would require in the event of a high-stress crime incident like an armed robbery at your premises, a hijacking or mugging.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ice Plus<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span>This mobile app gives you access to a countrywide network of armed response; medical and roadside assist services, as well as their 24hr Incident Management Centre. They work with local monitoring and armed response companies, guarding companies who have response resources, national and independent vehicle and asset recovery companies and ER24, and can also make contact with SAPS and neighbourhood watch groups.<\/p>\n

Costs:<\/strong> From R49 to R149 per month
\nPros:<\/strong> Your panic signal will activate even if you\u2019re out of data and airtime. If you can’t answer your phone after you\u2019ve activate a panic, a contracted responder will be dispatched to your location to provide immediate assistance and give them more information about the situation. Your personal emergency profile will help them to locate you and treat you according to any existing medical conditions. The subscription includes the cost of any emergency service providers that respond to your panic.
\nCons:<\/strong> If you are out of your subscription’s coverage area you will only have access to their Incident Management Centre, and only the premium plan includes National Armed Response.<\/p>\n

\nSecura<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span>Secura claims to be able to connect you to the largest network of armed response companies in South Africa, and a response time to your live GPS location within an average of +-5 minutes. They also dispatch medical services if required. They will soon be launching a mobile outdoor panic button<\/a><\/strong><\/span> in the form of a physical remote. This button is a stand-alone device, which could come in handy if you’re cycling or jogging or in an area where you’d prefer to leave your phone locked away. They also have a range of business solutions<\/strong><\/span><\/a> to keep your employees safe and can integrate with certain apps you already use as a company.<\/p>\n

Costs:<\/strong> R49 per month for the smartphone app
\nPros:<\/strong> They claim very fast reaction times and over 3600 armed response officers. The subscription includes the cost of any emergency service providers that respond to your panic.
\nCons:<\/strong> Outdoor remote button is not very accurate indoors<\/p>\n

\nMobi-Claw<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/span>Offering nationwide coverage, this company offers a smartphone app and a physical button remote that delivers tactical rapid response to any emergency. Their service also includes a client emergency profile and medical stabilisation and emergency medical transportation regardless of medical aid. They claim the largest national network of first responders in the country and a unique, direct relationship with these emergency services which they say allows for fast response times. Their geofenced safety nets create a digital footprint of your area, detailing exactly which responders need to be dispatched for your emergency.<\/p>\n

Costs:<\/strong> Smartphone app: from R69 per month per member, and once off registration fee: Primary member R135, Secondary Member R100. They also offer bulk subscription packages for businesses
\nRemote panic device and mobile phone app: R80 per month plus remote panic device purchase cost of R1900
\nPros:<\/strong> Free ambulance service, rapid response times
\nCons:<\/strong> more expensive than other providers offering a similar service<\/p>\n

\nBull Horns<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/span>This free panic app allows you to instantly, silently alert your community with just a shake of your phone and also supports one-touch activation on your phone, smart watch or headphones. Upon activation your location is sent to your emergency contacts and a call is made to the emergency responders that you have pre-loaded. If your security company partners with Bull Horns, they will be able to see your exact location in real time and their nearest available response vehicle will be instantly notified. You can also add and receive notifications about local crimes and suspicious activities.<\/p>\n

Costs:<\/strong> Free for the smartphone app (you pay for the emergency calls and SMS)
\nPros:<\/strong> You don\u2019t need to unlock your device or navigate to the app screen to activate your panic, you can leave a \u2018breadcrumb trail\u2019 so people can track you when you think you\u2019ll be going into risky situations, and the app also records audio.
\nCons:<\/strong> Your security company may not partner with them, in which case your panic signals rely on those phone calls and messages going through and being answered timeously.<\/p>\n

\nMySOS<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/span>This provider offers a free smartphone app as well as a remote panic button that is mostly geared towards medical assistance especially for the elderly. The app version asks you to choose the nature of your emergency and appropriate service provider, and while it does use your current position and is immediately able to determine the closest and best-suited emergency service provider for you, it gives you localised numbers to call rather than dispatching help immediately to your location on your behalf.<\/p>\n

Costs:<\/strong> R1450.00 Once Off + SIM Charges for the stand alone panic button
\nPros:<\/strong> Free for the smartphone app
\nCons:<\/strong> Not the best option on the market for high-stress, time sensitive crime incidents that jewellers face. Windows Phones are not supported. The app requires a mobile data or wifi connection in order to work, and if you are out of coverage you will not be able to activate an emergency.<\/p>\n

\nRed Panic Button<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/span>This is another app that does not immediately alert responders but rather sends an SMS and an email containing your GPS coordinates in a Google Maps link to all the numbers found in your panic contact list. It also links to a Twitter Panic feature, alerting your friends and followers that you\u2019re in danger. It\u2019s available for certain smart watches as well as phones, and the app allows you to record a 10 second distress message or a short video.<\/p>\n

Costs:<\/strong> R99.99
\nPros:<\/strong> Honestly – none really.
\nCons:<\/strong> Like MySOS, this relies heavily on your being in a position to have the luxury of time to communicate and perform tasks in dangerous situations, and it is not specifically for South Africa.<\/p>\n

\nDurban Area only<\/strong><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span>Blue Security offers a panic button app that activates an alarm signal, transmitting your GPS coordinates to the Blue24 hour control centre, which makes contact with you to determine the nature of your emergency. The appropriate emergency services are then activated, including their own armed response officers in their operational areas, ambulance services, the SAPS and the Automobile Association.<\/p>\n

Costs<\/strong><\/a><\/span>:<\/strong> They have a free trial for 2 months and a R40 per month option thereafter which anyone can make use of. It is free for existing Blue clients (with a premium paid plan as well)
\nPros:<\/strong> Linked to your Blue alarm system and Blue responders are hyper-local
\nCons:<\/strong> Durban area only and it\u2019s best if you already have an account with Blue Security<\/p>\n

\nIn conclusion:
\n<\/strong>Your phone\u2019s Location Services must be kept on for the GPS tracking features to work on these apps, and you will need to make contact with your chosen providers to ascertain whether your daily activities fall within their coverage area, but this is extensive for most of the apps we\u2019ve profiled.<\/p>\n

The safest option for you might be a mix of free and paid apps, and will all depend on the kinds of risks associated with your daily routine, and what services are most active and effective in the area where you live. Chat to your security company about what they recommend, which apps they integrate with, and whether they have a similar in-house solution or add-on to your current service that might suit your requirements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all understand the risks associated with living in South Africa, but as an industry that handles the storage and transportation of high-value precious metals, gemstones and diamonds, we need to be especially cautious. Team CPM has compiled a list of the most prominent apps available and run them through the filter of what a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4965"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4965"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4972,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4965\/revisions\/4972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wildlykreativ.com\/oldcpm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}