There are very special issues confronting commercial property managers in Dubai that are outside of their residential or industrial counterparts. The high footfall, mixed occupancy and 24-hour operation, plus location of sensitive business data present a risk scenario in need of a multi-layered solution for protection. These seven services listed below are considered a basic framework for a solid security system within a commercial environment, and are actually needed in this city based on the regulatory requirements and operational environment.

1. Licensed Manned Guarding

Handing over a site to protect commercial property is all about manned guarding by SIRA practitioners. In the Emirate of Dubai, all security officers have to be registered with the Dubai Security Industry Regulatory Authority (SIRA) and their employer has to be licensed with the authority. These are usually static posts in reception and entry areas, for commercial buildings protocols pertaining to managing visitors to the premises, contractors, and emergency evacuations. Without the training required beyond the minimum SIRA, the quality of guarding will be affected. You know your building inside and out, with briefings before deployment, you will be much more effective than officers who were deployed without site-specific briefing.

2. CCTV Coverage and Remote Monitoring

A CCTV system, without monitoring, is not a deterrent; it is a documentation system! Good commercial CCTV involves placing the correct camera in appropriate locations, having enough resolution to identify individuals, and on-site or remote monitoring with escalation protocols. Another aspect to take into account when installing CCTV in the UAE is compliance with the UAE’s data protection laws, as provided in the Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021. In multi-tenancy buildings, placement of the cameras needs to meet landlord security requirements, while complying with tenant privacy requirements, including areas where tenants work, communal facilities and car parks.

3. Access Control Management

One of the most basic aspects of commercial security involves access control including people and when they are entering and exiting a building as well as which door they are coming in through. The series of modern access control ranges from card-based access to biometric readers and the installation and types of these will depend on the risk profile of the specific area of the property where they are installed. More stringent access control is generally needed for server rooms, executive floors, finance areas than is required for shared reception areas. Integration is an important factor in operations: a good system integrates data from access control with HR; employee credentials will be automatically declined on their departure, and likewise for contractors’ access when their contract concludes. This life cycle is a frequent weakness of commercial buildings that aren’t managed properly.

4. Alarm Response Services

There must be a clear contract in place for alarm response. The actions that are to be performed when activated and the documentation of each activation should all be stated in writing before a contract is signed, as should the response time SLA.

5. Visitor and Contractor Management

Dubai commercial buildings regularly receive third-party contractors from time to time for roll-out maintenance, IT installations, and installation of exterior surfaces. If the system of visitors and contractors is not formally established, it is hard to keep track of all visitors or contractors in the building at any given time, thus increasing the security and liability risks. All of this should be documented by a formal system, which is supposed to collect all evidence of the contractor’s credentials, a definition of the permitted access zones, the arrival and departure times and the evidence of the handover procedures from the supervising staff. For the reception, installing the digital visitor management system with integration to the access control system decreases the administrative workload of reception employees and provides a set of records that will be accessible for the incident or insurance claims.

6. Security Patrols and Site Inspection

It is difficult for static guarding to handle all large and multi-level commercial properties. These are scheduled patrol routes, which are not fixed times so that the timing is not anticipated and provides coverage in areas that are not accessible to fixed cameras and posts. Patrol officers are to have equipment that records all checkpoints performed to produce proof that all routes have been traveled. For loading bays, in and around service areas, and in buildings with basement car parks, the need for patrol coverage is especially critical. Deliveries are often bypassed for overnight entry, stolen vehicles, and the theft of items from parked vehicles.

7. Emergency Response Planning and Drills

It is of little value to yourself or those you are responsible for making safe to have a security programme that works fine in a non-emergency but does not during one. Commercial property managers must make sure their security team is involved in the Emergency Response plan with the Dubai Police and Civil Defence and provides input for fire evacuation, lock down systems, etc. Frequent drills to test these procedures are common in commercial properties. When signing a long-term contract with a security company in the UAE , it is important to consider how each of the services listed below can help prepare your commercial property for security.

Bringing the Components Together

These seven services can be provided on their own, but if they are combined and managed as a single system they have the capability to be effective. A comprehensive security service provider in Dubai that covers all seven service lines will be able to combine data across systems, detect patterns that would have been undetected by a single service line, and orchestrate responses that demand multiple service capabilities to be activated at the same time.

When considering their existing arrangements, commercial Property Managers should review which of these services are provided, how well they meet their specified standard and whether the service provider has the necessary documented evidence and proof that it can meet this standard. If gaps exist, the risk that each gap renders them should drive their priority, starting with those most likely to be a cause of major incident or regulatory non-compliance.

FAQs Section

Is there any legal obligation for CCTV monitoring in schools that are subject to commercial activities in Dubai?

While there is no specific law for all commercial buildings, there are requirements relating to Dubai Police, RTA and sector regulators which apply to specific sectors and building categories. Even if it is optional in Dubai, CCTV is seen as mandatory for the majority of business establishments and more insurers are taking the presence of a monitored system as a factor into their premiums.

How many days does data protection law in UAE mandate that CCTV should be stored for?

A federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection prescribes certain general retention requirements, while in the particular areas of certain industries there are some applicable additional sector-specific requirements. Having said that, most commercial buildings in Dubai exhibit videos for as long as 30 days, and facilities with a greater threat risk have footage stored for up to 90 days or more.

What is likely the most vulnerable access problem in commercial buildings?

The common deficiency area most often cited is not cancelling access upon leave or termination of the contractor’s services by the agency. It is not a matter of if this will happen, but when, with a non-integrated card-based system, active credentials tend to slowly build up as the people in the building have a less-legitimate reason to have them.

How frequently should drills for an emergency evacuation be performed in a Dubai commercial building?

Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) suggests conducting a full evacuation once a year as a minimum. In high tenant/staff turnover buildings, more frequent exercises help get new tenants/employees up to speed on your building’s evacuation procedures and assembly points. If the building configuration has changed considerably since the last practice mountain or riverside drill, this will be a cause for an unscheduled drill.

How many guards are required for a security team at a commercial building with a minimum of 1 guard to every 1 supervisor?

While there is no fixed ratio, Dubai’s industry practice is to deploy one supervisor for every eight to twelve guards – depending on the complexity of the site and the length of the shift. A site with fewer than one supervisor assigned to twenty or more guards per shift is considered to have an increased supervisory risk, especially on weekends and overnight shifts.

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