Security company apologises for racist advisory

Beagle Watch Armed Response has apologised for a racially biased advisory that they recently distributed to their customers in an effort to educate them about how to identify a suspect to security officers.

Entrepreneur and marketing manager Bianca Miles Sibiya, who is also a patron of Beagle Watch’s security services, shared the advisory on Facebook after receiving it through a community watch Whatsapp group.

The advisory clearly features an illustration meant to depict a black man and various aspects of his appearance are highlighted as a means of knowing what the alert security officers look for in the event that one is reporting a suspect in a crime.

When asked whether the image really belongs to Beagle Watch (as there were no signs of it on the company’s official social media pages), the company’s customer relations manager Anne Wood confirmed to Citizen via email that the image was, in fact, theirs.

“The intention of the illustration was simply to assist the public in understanding characteristics that assist the police in the apprehension and successful prosecution of criminal cases,” explained Wood.

She went on to add that Beagle Watch “cannot be racist” because of the clients they cater to.

“We cannot be racist when our client base is as diverse as can be and representative of South Africans of all races. Additionally, our corporate culture and values demand that our priority should always be the protection of our clients irrespective of race, religion or gender,” wrote Wood.

She then promised that it would never happen again.

“We regret that this illustration offended some South Africans because it was never the intention. We offer our assurance that we will avoid such potential implications in the future.”

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