The use of drones to fight praedial larceny and security guards that are trained and certified by the HEART/NSTA Trust are two of the things General Manager of Armex Pro Security Services, Robert Finzi-Smith is counting on to set his company apart from the competition.

Finzi-Smith, in an interview with Observer Online, noted that praedial larceny has been the bane of Jamaican farmers for many years and is now costing an estimated $5 billion in annual losses to the agriculture sector.

“We are rebranding the company and I was asked to be the general manager. What we’re seeking to do is raise the level of security officers we provide, we’re training them up to level two and three HEART qualification in security and we’re training them to be computer literate,” he said.

“On the technical side we will be providing drones and high tech cameras. We’ll be using our drones to tackle praedial larceny,” Finzi-Smith shared.

When asked if Armex Pro was about to revolutionise the way private security is offered in Jamaica, the former Jamaica Defence Force Captain and former senior director of safety and security at the University of Technology [UTech] said “We’re going to try”.

Armex Pro has been in the private security business for about 16 years and has rebranded effective January 1 when Finzi-Smith became general manager. He said he will also be targeting educational institutions.

“We will also be pushing to provide security to educational institutions including primary and high schools based on my experience with UTech,” he said.

He conceded that it was a competitive market but said “We’re doing our best to fit in and find our own niche. We’re looking for officers, male and female who fit the profile of Armex Pro”.