Who do you call? Crest Forensic Services

The period prior to the festive season (December holidays), during the festive season and January months are always the time when organisations, companies, experience great losses. From the most protected, or perceived to be, such as the State Security Agency (SSA) (http://ewn.co.za/2016/01/03/A-reported-R50m-in-foreign-currency-missing-from-SSA)

To the companies working in the warehousing, logistics, mining and each and every industry, are feeling the pinch.

The rationale behind this is a 3 periods approach, prior, during and after.

Period 1: Prior to the festive season
- This is called the “Silly Season”. This is the season where the criminals are preparing for Christmas and the economy and industry are feeling it.
- Cash in Transit trucks are attacked and robbed, shopping centres are a mayhem of activities and an absolute hunting ground for the organised crime groups or for the plain opportunist. This has been evident this year as well with the Shopping centre of the South suffering huge risk, security, business continuity and the biggest of all, reputation risk when they were repeatedly attacked. Others can be mentioned as well, but the list would be too expansive.
- This is not a new phenomenon and since the years of the belated Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebe, leave of police men leave are cancelled or a moratorium are placed on the taking of leave.
- The Metro Police are starting with their Arrive Alive Campaigns and the arrests of drunken drivers are on the increase.
- The Security companies are playing a vital role here to protect our assets during our absence. Everyone is worried about this time of the year, and people / guards are thrown at the problem, instead of hardening the target, have a strategic approach and close down all the risks.
Period 2: During the festive season
- This season is traditionally between the close of the construction industry, thus the 16^th of December, until the schools are reopening for the first term of the year.
- This is called the “Empty Provinces Period”. This describes itself. Everyone which is everyone, is either leaving their homes, their jobs and are just shutting off to rush of and be on holiday.
- This is the period where every industry, no industry excluded, are at the most vulnerable.
- The people who are at work, is half absent, or half present. It depends from which point you are looking.
- People are relaxed, processes are as relaxed as the people who are present and this is where the losses occur.
- It is so easy, just like the loss at the State Security Agency (SAA). The comments regarding the article tells its own storey and one must appreciate the investigative and forensic experts within our population.
Period 3: The Surprise Season
- This is the feeling one gets when you walk into your office, business, inspecting accounts, checking procedures and with all the suntan, hoping to tell everyone about the holiday, local or overseas, you are feeling the blood drains into your shoes.
- This is the wake up call and the question is, what to do now. There is no way you can hide it or not report it. That feeling of walking into the CEO office is the worst and courage is needed.
- At this point, the CEO is wondering, but you are in entrusted with this environment, but how did this happen, bad risk management, no risk management or just a lack of risk management. No preventative controls.