Themis Security has beefed up its downtown presence after buying Capital Regional Protection Services.
Themis — which offers alarmed-response and night-patrol services to its clients — has added a more robust daytime presence in the downtown core with the acquisition, said the firm’s owner.
“We already had some presence downtown, but not enough to actually have full-time staff during the day,” said Mirko Filipovic.
He said the company will add new staff and eventually have about six people patrolling the core between Douglas and Wharf streets and between Courtney Street and Pandora Avenue.
Filipovic said he decided to purchase CRPS rather than expand Themis on its own as the companies offered a slightly different service. CRPS focused on daytime security for merchants and businesses, while Themis operated mainly at night and on weekends.
“It gave us immediate access to merchants ... it more than doubled the number of clients we were servicing,” Filipovic said, noting the combined company can now offer new services like alarmed response and night patrol.
Filipovic said over the last two weeks they have added half a dozen new clients. He said more than 50 businesses in the core use the company’s services.
His staff rove throughout the core area and Filipovic said they provide both a visible deterrent as well as the opportunity to respond quickly to problems. “Trespassing, loitering, suspicious individuals in a store are the bulk of calls we get,” Filipovic said. He noted over the last week they have been called out 29 times.
“This is a new model for security in the private sector — a community coming together to address its challenges and proactively improving their living and working environment,” he said.
“Our partnership with local merchants and owners ensures that employees have help available. One way we do that is by responding to calls for service in less than six minutes.”
Filipovic also said his staff become ambassadors for the city as tourists often approach the uniformed staff for information or directions.
“We are accessible and available,” he said.
