One of Bermuda’s newest security company is looking to capture a niche in the market for affordable and reliable services in the wake of the recent spate of crime which has swept Bermuda during the economic downturn.

Integrated Cabling & Security Solutions (ICSS), which is run by father and son team Larry and Dwain Smith, both ex-police officers, noticed the trend in rising violence and anti-social behaviour and decided to take the opportunity to set up their own business offering the latest cutting edge technology to help tackle the issue.

The duo, who are both Bermudian but were living in the US at the time, returned to the Island to establish the company 18 months ago, primarily with a focus on video surveillance remote access and branching into alarm systems for commercial and residential properties and the MediPendant personal emergency response system, which it launched as recently as last month.

They are now in the process of providing a service facilitating the transportation of money in an armoured vehicle and plan to expand the operation beyond its five-man team of installers.

Larry, who was in the Bermuda Police Service for 41 years and Dwain who was with them for 10 years, moved to America, where the latter went to college and worked for Sprint, a telecom company, and he has also developed strong links with vendors there for access to the most up-to-date security technology.

Dwain said he was keen to provide a security service to every household or business in Bermuda at a reasonable fee, starting with the basic bronze three entry with contacts package at $749 up to the premium 10 access point package for $1,500.

“What makes us unique is that we are ex-police officers and we don’t just offer competitive pricing, but also discount pricing,” said Dwain.

“We want everyone in Bermuda to have any sort of security in their residence regardless of their economic situation and thus we are the first company in Bermuda to offer in-house financing for security systems for up to 12 months, including a free consultation.”

He has seen a worrying development in the crime statistics over the past two years as the recession took hold and started to produce a new breed of “opportunity” criminals.

“It is unfortunate that due to the rise in crime and, now that Bermuda is feeling the impact of the recession, I believe that a lot of this crime is due to crimes of opportunity,” he said.

“Unfortunately I don’t see it getting better - I can only see it getting worse as we get deeper into this recessionary period, so what we want to do is give people the peace of mind to know that their family and sacred possessions are protected.”

ICSS operates a full monitoring system and boasts the fastest response time of any security firm on the Island with a redundant system providing an immediate call out once the alarm has been activated.

Dwain said that the company’s strengths included innovative easy-to-use and multi-purpose solutions allied to a friendly and courteous service ranging from quotations to installation and regular service of its products.

It also offers companies advice and strategic plans on how to better protect their premises, providing everything from panic rooms to bullet-proof glass.

Larry said that with the increase in crime in recent times, it was essential for residents and businesses to secure their properties.

“The one thing that Bermuda needs to be conscious of is that if you look at the rise in crime statistics, especially with house break-ins and burglaries, you need to be more conscious of security,” he said.

“Our primary focus is prevention and we would say to anyone looking at security that the price you pay is the price you save in having your home secure.”

ICSS’s service has already yielded some notable successes, with one of its installations leading the apprehension of the initial suspect involved in the shooting in Court Street.

It’s client base is split 50:50 between commercial and residential business, with customers including the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service, Bermuda First Network and Jamaican Grill.

For more information about the security services provided by ICSS contact 295-4277, email LSmith@icss.bm or DSmith@icss.bm or visit the website at www.icss.bm