Teaming up for polo in St. Moritz

At the end of January the world-famous Polo World Cup on Snow was held for the 26th time on the lake of St Moritz. And once again the Securitas branch in Chur was entrusted with the security arrangements. The new and close co-operation between Securitas and Securiton was an all-out success.

The St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow is itself a success story. And this major event was held this year again for the 26th time on the frozen lake of St. Moritz, from 28 to 31 January 2010. Four teams competed for the coveted Cartier Trophy. It is not just the unusual playing surface that demands a great deal of both horse and rider: the altitude of 1800 m is also a challenge for man and beast. Despite the bitter cold around 15,000 spectators, including many keen followers of the sport from the worlds of business and politics, the nobility and the jet set, were enthralled by the exciting matches held on the four days of competition, and revelled in the atmosphere and the breathtaking mountain backdrop.

High-class security services
The Securitas personnel was entirely focused on security. The planning work had begun already a year ago. The security concept had to take account of, and plan for, not only the fact that the event was being held on the frozen lake of St. Moritz, with temperatures plummeting to minus 25 °C, but also the exceptional visitor profile, the extra volume of traffic, the prestigious gala evening, the unusually busy press conference and much more besides. And the fact that the event coincided with the WEF in Davos posed a genuine challenge for the scheduling of operations and resources. With numbers boosted by extra personnel called in from the Securitas Regional Headquarters in Thun and Lugano, the Securitas branch in Chur was responsible for the following security tasks: area monitoring, access control, regulating traffic flows and car park management, the protection of people and animals, surveillance of the stables and protection of the animals away from the arena, security measures for the gala evening, and lots more.

Valuable technical assistance
In the past the security arrangements had been carried out exclusively by deploying security personnel; but this time technical monitoring facilities were also added. Securiton rolled out its mobile modular monitoring system SecuriWall M3, specially developed by Securiton for temporary monitoring assignments. The objective was to improve monitoring by technical means and further increase security as a result.
Surveillance cameras were positioned at crucial locations, making it impossible for anyone to approach - or gain access unnoticed to - any sensitive areas. The daytime and night-time vision compatible cameras ensured 24-hour surveillance, providing substantially enhanced security for the expensive items exhibited by some of the sponsors.
Over the four days the operations centre was manned by specially trained Securitas personnel, who were responsible for the SecuriWall M3 system and were able to rely on technical support from Securiton employees at all times. And with resounding success. Indeed, this year there was only one night-time incident, and with the Securitas patrol instantly informed it was dealt with speedily and professionally. The system also served its purpose well during the daytime, coping for example with the large volume of visitors, with extra support services available at any time - as and when required. Man and machine – a terrific team The co-operation between Securiton and Securitas, a first at this event, considerably enhanced the overall security. Firstly, through the deterrent effect on any potential troublemakers and, secondly, by the fact that Securitas was able to intervene in a calmer, more targeted and efficient way. After the event both the customer and the Securitas branch in Chur welcomed the decision to deploy the SecuriWall M3. It is to be used for other events on the lake of St. Moritz, for example the White Turf international horse races, which are held on three racing Sundays in February.