Arusha: 29th May 2013: Pan-African security company Warrior Security
has launched polygraph tests in East Africa, as fraud surges, with
reports indicating a 13 per cent increase in global fraud between 2009
and 2011, causing companies losses of more than $5m (KSh420m) in the
last year.
Kenya and South Africa lead in economic crimes, with 66 per cent and
60 per cent of all companies interviewed in these economies having
experienced frauds. In South Africa, reports further indicate that
employees are involved in 75 per cent of the fraud and corruption.
“We have noted rising frauds and internal thefts in our areas of
operations, and clients are becoming more vigilant, asking for
polygraph services to enable them to protect their businesses and
flush out criminals in their midst,” said Valerie Corey, Polygraph
Examiner at Warrior Security.
Asset misappropriation continues to lead as the most common form of
economic crime, affecting 72 per cent of global companies and 73 per
cent of Kenyan companies, according to a report by Price Waterhouse
Coopers.
“Most reports we receive are tied to loss of property and money, with
employers wanting to track down the culprits,” said Valerie.
“Warrior Security has conducted hundreds of polygraph tests in the
last one and a half years. In almost all cases, it was able to
identify the culprits,” said Tara Simpson, Polygraph Examiner at
Warrior Security.
“The service also enables us clear the names of individuals who might
have been wrongly suspected, reduce speculation and help the police
have a clearer investigation,” added Tara. “We have worked closely
with the police, particularly in Arusha.”
The polygraph exam takes an average of 2 hours is highly accurate when
performed according to standards set forth by the American Polygraph
Association, even up to 97 per cent in certain cases according to
research studies.
It determines whether a person is telling the truth by measuring and
recording physiological reactions such as blood pressure, pulse,
respiration and skin conductivity as an individual answers a series of
questions.
When originally searching for the best lie-detection service to
provide, Warrior Security Ltd chose polygraph rather than other
technologies such as voice stress analysis, doing so after reviewing
11 separate University-grade studies comparing the 2 technologies.
These studies found polygraph accuracy ranging from 86.2 per cent to
96.2per cent accurate results compared to VSA accuracy of only 50 per
cent, the same as flipping a coin.
Regionally, the polygraph has already been adopted by law enforcement
agencies such as the South African Police Service, which ran its first
dedicated training of 18 polygraphers in 1997. The country conducts
approximately 20 000 tests a year, according to data from the South
African Polygraph Association.
“The polygraph exam results are considered circumstantial evidence
equal to all other such evidences and is considered as expert
testimony but one cannot convict on it alone,” according to Mrosso
Advocates in Arusha.
Employers are now also including polygraph testing as part of
pre-employment interviews.
“The device is useful in creating an atmosphere in which offenders
feel unwelcome, and honest employees thrive,” said Tara.
Warrior Security currently operates mainly in East Africa. It is the
largest security company in oil rich South Sudan, with over 1000
guards in 12 areas. It specializes in post conflict areas, as well as
the oil and mineral rich regions of South Sudan, Congo, Zambia, and
Tanzania, protecting UN organisations, embassies, NGOs, businesses and
individuals.