Public Safety

UIP security provides enhanced public safety. Increased street presence of recognizable UIP security staff in uniform is an effective deterrent to criminal activity and lawbreakers looking for victims, especially where police are less present and visible. People occupying and walking along streets often feel more secure with UIP workers in sight.

We adopt a proactive approach to security in our precincts with the focus on identifying possible criminal intent before it occurs and taking corrective action. The UIPCO’s Security Control Room and Monitoring Teams operate 24x7x365 and keep a beady eye on proceedings via our own CCTV surveillance network and is ably supported by our well managed rapid response security teams, Metro Police and SA Police Services with whom we maintain strong working relationships.

The UIPCO fulfils a vital role by integrating the various security entities and resources in the precincts, a key component of which is the Monthly Security Forum attended by law enforcement agencies, private security companies servicing UIP properties, property managers and municipal representatives. The aim of the forum is to proactively improve the level of security in our precincts through sharing intelligence and integrated operations. These meetings are minuted with a monthly UIPCO Crime Report and Crime Statistics provided for incidents reported to the UIP.

The geographic extent and boundaries of the Precinct have to be established. All property owners and major tenants within the defined area must be identified and shown the proposed intervention. A referendum has to be held and a pre-determined majority must be achieved in order to legally establish a Precinct. Whilst the application to the local authority to establish a Precinct may be made by 25% of property owners, final approval will not be considered unless more than 50% of relevant property owners are in agreement, representing 51% or more of the total property valuation of the area.

Once a Precinct is authorized, 100% of property owners within the area must contribute financially. The Precinct is constituted as a Section 21 Company with a Board of Directors elected among the contributors. It comprises property owners, business owners, representatives of residents’ organisations and representatives of the local authority. According to the legislation, the majority of directors are required to be property owners. The Board appoints a specialized urban management company to manage the day-to-day operations within the precinct and effectively control the precinct within the terms of the UIP business plan, which may be established over a period of two to five years.

Through legislation, the cost of provision of UIP services is spread over an equitable, pre-agreed basis among all property owners within the geographical area. The levy is based on the calculations of rateable property values and costs are borne in proportion to the value of the property. The local authority must inform the UIP of its current level of service and must maintain the same level of service when the UIP is running through a services level agreement (SLA). This is to ensure that the UIP services remain supplementary and are not a replacement for local authority baseline services. The UIP is established for an initial period of three years but its life can continue indefinitely unless members move for material changes to the original business plan. Members may vote for the dissolution of the UIP at any time during its lifetime on a similar referendum as is initially used to support its establishment.