Two Clive’s fighting crime together to keep their community safe

Clive Maher has always wanted to be in law enforcement and has found a way, first as a police reservist and now as the founder of Suburban Control Centre, known as SCP Security.

“This has been my dream since I was a little kid. I am doing what I love every day, the fact that what I love doing keeps people safe is just so awesome.”

As a police reservist at Fairland and later a Johannesburg Flying Squad member in the rapid response unit, he thought his career had been determined.

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His wife Leigh-Ann said, “This sparked a passion in him that would reach far and beyond our wildest dreams. He absolutely loved gearing up and going on duty and fighting crime with such passion even though there were many close calls which could have ended my hopes and dreams at any time.”

Maher smiled and said, “My wife made me leave the force because it was dangerous work and she was scared for me. Without this intervention though, I would never have had the opportunity to start my own private security company.”

When asked how this work was any safer, he laughed and said, “I am very operationally active in my company but it feels safe and my wife supports me and knows our members have the best equipment and training, so we are safe.”

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Maher described the important relationship private security companies needed to have with the police stations in their footprint areas. “It is essential that we work together and help each other as nobody can combat crime alone. Being able to assist the police in whichever way we can is a privilege and together we are making a difference. Supporting local CPFs is also critical as they too do incredibly important work for their precincts.”

Both Maher and Fairland Police Station Commander Lieutenant Colonel Clive de Freitas acknowledged that private security companies were often able to respond to incidents faster than the police could.

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De Frietas said, “Private security companies have vehicles driving around suburbs all the time and can react at a moment’s notice, often arriving on the scene far faster than we can, so they are extremely important.”

Maher said another pillar of the work his company did was to support local community initiatives by either providing security at events such as a recent children’s Halloween cycle in Berario or by working with groups to support regular clean-ups of shared green spaces.

Leigh-Ann concluded, “I am a very proud wife. Proud of the company that I have seen my husband build from the ground up with passion and commitment to his staff and clients. I am the wife of a crazy lovable man who puts family and community at the heart of everything he does.”

Former Northcliff Melville Times journalist Andile Dlodlo described how SCP’s Clive Maher assisted Dlodlo’s brother after he was hijacked recently.

“I am so grateful to Clive Maher after he assisted me following the recent hijacking of a family member,” said Dlodlo. “Within a couple of minutes of me reaching out to him, despite me now living in Bloemfontein, he set in motion a plan to assist.

He circulated details of the hijacked car with his groups, constantly kept me updated and was able to quickly confirm the car had been located and secured. We are not SCP Security clients nor do we live in the areas he works in but that did not stop him from doing everything he could to help us. For that, I am extremely grateful.”

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