Up close and personal

Security company took shape almost by accident while he was studying at university and, over the years, the focus has shifted to corporate and personal protection, writes

security. Dragon Security was born, despite its founder having no bank account, cellphone or car – and having to contend with university studies.

He pursued another passion too: reservist duties with the SAPS anti-hijacking unit. He had his fair share of shoot-outs and arrests, even catching the kidnapper of two small children.

When he emerged from a vehicle that was “riddled with rounds” during a foiled armed robbery, his young wife-to-be put her foot down and that chapter of his life closed.

Meanwhile, Parshotam had built Dragon Protection to the point where it employs 50 guards. Then he quit university. “My business evolved. I started doing residential and street patrols. We were asked to work in the Chatsworth suburb of Kharwastan where there were about 1 500 houses. They had had hijackings and robberies. We dropped the crime rate to virtually zero.”

Now the focus is on corporate and business security, as well as close protection. He handed over the guarding side to operations director Leon Nagiah, who joined the company 12 years ago, so that he could concentrate on the bodyguard sector of the industry.

“I trained retrenched solders who needed to be reintegrated into society. We provided driving lessons, computer training, got them security grading and trained them in close protection. But because many had criminal records, it was hard for them to get jobs in the security industry.”

Through his training foray, he came into contact with David M Sharp, a World War II veteran who had been a prisoner of war.

Describing him as a “James Bond guy” who had continued his military career with the British Special Forces, Parshotam says Sharp was responsible for international accreditation of his students.

Spotting an opportunity to gain his own international accreditation – difficult in South Africa and extremely expensive – he joined his students.

With a certificate under his belt, he began marketing himself as a freelance operative, not only providing bodyguard services, but also providing risk and advisory services and threat analysis.

He began to escort high-value items such as aluminium, copper and scrap metal from Durban harbour to Gauteng.

Assignments included working as part of the security team for Cuban leader Fidel Castro during the Non-Aligned Movement’s summit in Durban in 1998.

He was responsible for sweeping rooms, arranging itineraries and doing “the real work behind security”. Walking behind a dignitary is the easy work, he says.

As requests for his services grew, he began to contract other freelance operatives.

He also started working at events such as South African Fashion week in 2000, where he provided security for Africa’s most expensive garment, a 247-carat diamond studded brassier/suspender belt created by local designer Haroun Hansrot.

When the AU summit took place in Durban in 2002, he was part of ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s 250-strong security entourage. Responsible for his third in command and his three wives, he didn’t sleep for two weeks.

In-between these high-profile assignments, he continued protecting top executives from major corporations and financial institutions as well as high-profile politicians such as Tony Leon and academics like Professor Aaron Ndlovu, the controversial former head of Mangosuthu Technikon.

By 2008, Parshotam’s close protection operations had become a formal part of his security business in its own right. He has established a repeat client base with certain major clients that he meets two or three times a month. He knows their every move. These are his bread and butter, he says. Then there are the stars. “Over the past five years, we’ve become one of the companies to call on for individual protection and security at large events.”

This means he is no longer the bodyguard lurking behind the celebrities and now handles the veritable logistical nightmare behind major events such as the recent launch of the inaugural SA India Film and Television Awards (Saifta) in Durban.

Security for the event at the International Convention Centre was a challenge.

“We had a separate event team of 35 for the function. To plan for a day took three weeks. Then you sit back and go phew.”

Parshotam also handled the goings-on behind the scene from a small office at Suncoast which looked like an operations room out of an action film. Each morning, he and his team liaised with teams of management and bodyguards for numerous Bollywood stars, including Dia Mirza, Hard Kaur, Farah Khan and Geeta Kapur.

Each was usually heading off in a different direction. For each trip, he insisted all involved complete an advance 40-point recce team checklist. They organised everything from parking to having staff at shops wrapping purchases and delivering them to waiting limos.

The bottled water that went into the cars and room also had to be guarded to prevent tampering.

Parshotam says each bodyguard is carefully matched with a specific celebrity based on strengths and abilities.

Each celebrity is also fully assessed and a check list is provided to each guard, outlining everything from food preferences and allergies to personal likes and dislikes and hobbies and interests.

Secure Drive

In addition to managing event security operations that sound like they come out of Hollywood or even Bollywood, Parshotam is well aware of the need to spot opportunities to grow his business.

One of the services he has developed is called Secure Drive.

“I essentially provide an executive with an armed driver.

“This is for someone who does not need a full bodyguard service. The driver is given the person’s itinerary and then takes him around.”

Another of his more innovative services is chaperoning youngsters for their parents, especially girls on nights out alone.

This prevents problems such as spiking of drinks and provides a driver so that they arrive home safely.

He says this service is becoming increasingly popular, especially for matric dances.