Any community that wants to be safe, has a responsibility to get involved in making this dream a reality. By working together as a team, the entire Hermanus can be a much safer place for everyone that lives or work here.
That’s the message from a member of the Fidelity ADT team that is based in Hermanus. Antoinette Robertson works in the company’s local monitoring centre, as a shift senior.
“My job is to manage other members that are on shift and to also assist when we are short-staffed for whatever reason. Acknowledging alarms and dispatching armed response officers is still a key part of my day,” she says.
Robertson has been working in the security business for more than 20 years. She describes herself as a people’s person and says the chance to work with the public was what attracted her to this line of work. “I want to make a difference.”
She remembers one particularly distressing incident that she was involved in when a customer called her for help.
“The customer told me that she was home alone when the alarm went off. She was very scared as she heard a noise downstairs which sounded like an unknown person had broken into her home. I kept her on the line to calm her down until our officers arrived. They arrested two suspects who were still on the scene.”
Robertson believes that opportunistic crime is one of the biggest issues facing Hermanus, which is linked to residents’ vigilance and their behaviour.
“Perhaps it is because people think this is a holiday town which means they don’t need to focus on crime and criminals. Sadly though, there are always people looking for an easy target and we can take away this opportunity for criminals by being alert. If you see something or someone suspicious, please raise the alarm.”
At the end of a long shift, she enjoys spending time with her family and she loves a good laugh.
“We can attract more people to come to our beautiful town by keeping it safe and by working together,” she says.
