I am a security consultant with over 22 years experience in designing security services and systems for some of the biggest corporate companies in Malaysia. Over the years I have been involved in the installation of security systems worth millions of ringgit in Malaysia and up till now, I am still actively working with many foreign international concerns in designing their complete security solution.

I write this in sheer exasperation of the continued misdirection the government and related authorities seem to be making in the manner they undertake the job of installing security systems for the country.

The recent highlighting of exorbitant purchases undertaken by the government is one typical example. For the record, I would like to provide some insights into the pricing of such equipment. Taking what we consider high pricing in the corporate world, a good camera with adequate surge protection mounted on a pole with good housing would retail for about RM7,000. Digital recording for up to 30 days amortised over the number of cameras would amount to approximately RM3,000 per camera.

Installation is a variable depending on where the cameras are installed. However, if we were to take the worst-case scenario where wireless is used as the medium of transmission, this could relate to an average between RM4,000 to RM8,000 per camera depending on the number of cameras and the proximity of these cameras. If hardwiring is a plausible option then this would be slightly cheaper than the wireless option.

Based on the above, for the purchase of 100 cameras, the approximate cost would be RM1.5 million. If a premium were to be added to make way for premium brands and 30% was added, this would bring the total to RM2 million. We could add a 40% contingency fund and this would bring the total amount to RM2,800,000.

Calculating comprehensive service and maintenance at a premium rate of 25%, this works out to RM700,000 per annum. At this rate, the system could be completely replaced in five years. Without providing for inflationary changes, the government would have in 20 years spent RM16.8 million for 100 cameras. Let’s be a little a bold here and double this figure for even further contingencies and we would have spent slightly over RM33 million over 20 years.

For those who have been keeping in touch with what has been reported in the media, we could evaluate the reported purchases thus far. Based on the above calculation, if we were to install 300 cameras, it would cost RM100 million and that would be with hefty profit margins. These only go towards highlighting the excesses that our projects have been subjected to.

To date, the government has only been installing cameras to monitor traffic with little emphasis placed on crime prevention. Areas such as commercial and financial areas, schools and housing estates have been left out. The rhetoric that the investment cost is too high would be true based on the current government purchasing values.

The government needs to embrace a proactive and progressive approach to this and at the same time help develop and spread the business opportunity to local suppliers who are in no short supply and have adequate experience in the installation of high-end systems.

Recently, it was highlighted in the media that the design of the ‘world’s best security systems’ for a major government development project in Johor had been awarded to a foreign consulting company whilst the whole project was "facilitated" by an international company that was, while renown throughout the whole world, it is relatively new in the security arena compared with other more established and proven brand names.

How was this job assessed and deemed to be too skillful for local expertise? Why wasn’t this project from its infancy tendered in the local media? Against what has the system proposed been benchmarked to be the best in the world?

Will this be the case of another KLIA, where purportedly state-of-the-art systems were designed by foreign expertise and which is why only 30% of the cameras are recordable?

Multinational corporations that have offices in Malaysia and operate international offices worldwide have no problems working with Malaysian consultants and installers, why then does the government see the need to seek foreign expertise when we do not expose the opportunity to the local business community? Local expertise is cheaper and we do have international affiliations which we could call upon if required.

Let the local experts assess the requirement. Malaysian contracts should be helmed by Malaysians as long as the expertise is available. If there is a need for foreign participation, it should be the left to the choice of the local groups to want to include this expertise. Malaysians tend to assume the grass is greener on the other side or, in this case, that the expertise is only available overseas. It is a psychological barrier that is still existing and left over from the occupational era.

Another typical case example of such psychological barriers is when a national shipping line human resource executive was quoted in the media as saying that the reason they preferred engaging foreign labour was because apparently Malaysian youth were undisciplined and as such this was the reason for their labour policy. Never was it in their mandate that they should have a training academy that provides career training opportunities and inculcates discipline and loyalty to their country and employment.

Do we really think that locals are incapable? Does our own government think that Malaysians are incapable?

In summation, the government needs to re-look its policies and guidelines and reassess the priorities of security and safety and the manner in which the implementation is carried out. Malaysians have to be given the platform to prove their capability to perform and this can only be done if from the start an unbiased professional agenda can be drawn up.

Malaysia is currently looking to install cameras in quantities that are far from adequate to serve as a credible crime prevention system. London alone has more than 40,000 cameras installed and they are still increasing. To properly monitor the whole country, we are looking at thousands of cameras being installed and this needs to be designed as one package and redistributed to the various installers in the country for installation.

Security being what it is, that is a system totally immersed in technology and whose primary goal is to look after the safety of the rakyat and the country’s assets - it is also a prime crime prevention tool. As such, the expense required to install these CCTV systems is necessary.

Security systems today have been designed such that it can evolve from being a cost center to a profit center. Security systems are able to generate revenue that could provide the government with the means to fund the high cost of installation and maintenance of security systems for the whole country.

Such avenues in acquiring the above are available to the government and it is also backed by capable local expertise if only the government were to seek it from the right sources.

Malaysia Boleh!