In cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, Japan’s E-Security Services Co Ltd (ESS) has established a business in Cambodia that is focused on providing safety for corporations and private citizens.

Takahiro Ishii, general manager of ESS, said his company has a 10-year agreement with the National Police.

“We have set up our large monitoring screens in the Cabinet and we signed a memorandum of understanding with National Police headquarters for a period of 10 years to provide security in the Kingdom,” Ishii said.

ESS first installs sensors in and around an office or building, which are equipped with high-end security cameras, which in turn are linked to its data network and its monitoring screens, Ishii explained.

“If any unusual activity is occurring at a location, the camera will capture the activity and simultaneously transmit the image to our large monitoring screens and alert our security team to assess the situation,” Ishii said. “Our monitoring team will, if they deem it necessary, inform our security dispatch team to go to the location, secure the premises and take care of the security threat. In big cases, our team will work with various police agencies.”

The sensor and camera are working 24 hours a day, and ESS always has a monitoring team and IT team prepared to take action, Ishii added.

“Our security system isn’t just focused on potential illegal activity, but also, for example, fires. If our cameras pick up smoke, we could get to the location before a fire causes extensive damage.”

Ishii noted that in Japan and other countries like Singapore, China, Europe and the US, E-security companies are very popular, because they are trusted, more reliable than hiring your own guards and offer a 24/7 operation.

ESS entered the Cambodian market January 2013. In the beginning, the company was only able to attract Japanese clients, because ESS is a trusted company in Japan, Ishii said. But recently, the company has been getting local clients as well because of good word of mouth from Japanese clients.

He added that in Cambodia the standards for security guards are really low. Some companies trust security guards, some don’t; some security companies can be trusted, some can’t.

“If you are walking at night, you will often see the security guard asleep,” Ishii said. “But our E-security system, our IT team, our monitoring team, our dispatch team, they are always working.

“For us, we’re working 24 hours a day, with three eight-hour shifts per day to ensure the safety of our clients and their possessions.”

ESS has set up six large monitoring screens and has a staff of 50. It now has 400 clients, 98 per cent of which are companies, such as restaurants, hotels, stores, factories and NGOs. The remaining two per cent is families and private homes.

By the arrival in 2015 of ASEAN integration, ESS expects to have at least 1,500 clients, Ishii said.

Before agreeing to serve a customer, ESS sends out a team to scout the location and plan where to put sensors and cameras. Every staff member in the field has been properly trained for their specific duties, he says.

“We charge a monthly fee from our clients. The fee starts at $150 and can reach as high as $1,800, depending on the location, its size and the level of security it desires.,” he said.

Because the initial cost of setting up the system is $800, ESS requires at least a three-year agreement.