Chelsea Village, our flagship remote-site accommodation project in Mogadishu, has initiated a series of major security upgrades.

We welcome Security Manager Colin Laubscher to Chelsea Village. A valuable addition to the team, Colin has 13 consecutive years of recent private security experience in Afghanistan, seven of which were spent as an Embedded Project Manager for the European Union Police Mission to Afghanistan.

Advancements include:

• New razor wire installation of the perimeter blast walls
• New cabling for the compound’s CCTV system
• New PA system, with four 100-decibel loud speakers and electronic early warning system. This will allow for a drastically reduced reaction time when guests and staff are required to be moved to our secure bunker.
• State-of-the-art emergency medical equipment assembled by specialists rather than limited, bulk-purchase Emergency Response Trauma bags found in most camps
• Upgrading of rear gate to Embassy Standard
• Extra overhead protection added to NapCap accommodation units
• Coming soon: upgrading of front gate for smoother transit and dedicated security office

WORKING TOGETHER

In addition to the ongoing improvements at Chelsea Village, we have also established a combined “United Nations Chelsea Village Security Work Group” which meets on a regular basis consisting of the various UN agency security experts and COG management, where ideas are shared on a regular basis. “We all have the same goal in common,” says Security Manager Colin. “Which is to turn Chelsea Village into the security model for future personnel deployed/accommodated in the region.”

This work group has allowed for a healthy relationship with the various UN agencies, which has also allowed for the support of the UN Emergency Reaction Team (“AMISOM Blue-top” ERT) to be added to future exercise drills conducted at Chelsea Village.

It also establishes direct communications between Chelsea Village and the United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS), a vital addition necessary in times of emergency. Chelsea Village is in direct communication with the UNDSS operations room to ensure real-time communication to update on the security situation and any additional support that may be required in an incident.

“In addition to the UN/Chelsea Village workgroup we have also established a common ‘security information sharing group’ on WhatsApp,” says Colin. “This has been setup purely for the immediate sharing of security-related information. I encourage all guests to join the group which allows for the immediate dissemination of security information to all, including the updating of recent incidents and events within the immediate area of operation.”