Jul 7, 2026 · 14 min · 8 segments
Send us Fan Mail What is it really like to work on the front lines of South Africa's private security industry? In this special edition of The…
As we were armed response officers, we would respond to shooting incidents where it already happened.
You get people that got shot.
The thing that got to me the most is when there were children involved.
When you get to an accident and it was a drunk driver that hit a car and everybody in the car passed away.
Only a baby survived because he was flung out against the fence.
There was a vast difference from being an armed response officer and a normal security guard.
There is so much responsibilities that you have.
You work with a vehicle that's over a hundred and odd thousand rand.
You work with a firearm.
You need to be on point.
You respond to clients.
You need to help people.
You need to be all over the show because armed response officers is not just a normal armed response officer.
You've got so many other aspects of your work that you need to cover, you know, responding to medical emergencies, responding to fires, you know, responding to assisting people that's stuck next to the road.
It makes you feel like, you know, I'm worth something.
um not that guarding really take anything away there but you need to be a little bit more responsible that time and and the industry was also quite small that time
and so take us to what what sort of incidents like one one that comes to mind or one or two that you know that was a you know a life threatening or something that was really challenging on the on the job as an armed response officer back then
look the worst was when um now as we were armed response officers you will respond to shooting incidents where it already happened where you get people that got shot you will drive on your way to a call because back in the days and i don't know if it's still the same we always assisted the saps and local law enforcement If there was an accident, he will stand down and will help.
I think the thing that got to me the most is when there were children involved.
When you get to an accident and it was a drunk driver that hit a car, what happened in Belleville back in the days, and everybody in the car passed away.
Only a baby survived because it was flung out against the fence and you help the medical people and you push over the car and you see there's a small child
under the car.
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As we were armed response officers, we would respond to shooting incidents where it already happened.
You get people that got shot.
The thing that got to me the most is when there were children involved.
When you get to an accident and it was a drunk driver that hit a car and everybody in the car passed away.
Only a baby survived because he was flung out against the fence.
There was a vast difference from being an armed response officer and a normal security guard.
There is so much responsibilities that you have.
You work with a vehicle that's over a hundred and odd thousand rand.
You work with a firearm.
You need to be on point.
You respond to clients.
You need to help people.
You need to be all over the show because armed response officers is not just a normal armed response officer.
You've got so many other aspects of your work that you need to cover, you know, responding to medical emergencies, responding to fires, you know, responding to assisting people that's stuck next to the road.
It makes you feel like, you know, I'm worth something.
um not that guarding really take anything away there but you need to be a little bit more responsible that time and and the industry was also quite small that time
and so take us to what what sort of incidents like one one that comes to mind or one or two that you know that was a you know a life threatening or something that was really challenging on the on the job as an armed response officer back then
look the worst was when um now as we were armed response officers you will respond to shooting incidents where it already happened where you get people that got shot you will drive on your way to a call because back in the days and i don't know if it's still the same we always assisted the saps and local law enforcement If there was an accident, he will stand down and will help.
I think the thing that got to me the most is when there were children involved.
When you get to an accident and it was a drunk driver that hit a car, what happened in Belleville back in the days, and everybody in the car passed away.
Only a baby survived because it was flung out against the fence and you help the medical people and you push over the car and you see there's a small child
under the car.