The increase in home invasions, some with fatal consequences, has led to the establishment of a new business, Quintus Personal Security Consultancy Services.
In a sit-down interview with the Business Guardian, Quintus founder Mark Gomes said forming the company came to him after his family was victim of a home invasion 12 years ago.
“Since then, I’ve been very upset seeing how, in our country, the criminal element has continued to evolve, and we tend to play catch-up all the time. So, everyone around me, even through my businesses, I’ve always had a very intense finger on security, on systems, on the preventative aspect and Quintus was an idea three years ago,” Gomes said.
He admitted that he did approach, through a business relationship, a few members of the Government, by writing emails, as to how Quintus can be used as a preventative measure for home invasions, but there was never any response.
“I said, okay, the Government tends to provide a service when there’s a benefit for them. While many people are noble, people just give service to regular folks.”
Gomes indicated that he tried to develop a model where if Quintus is successful and the company educates and trains people on how best they can be aware of their surroundings, the brand ould become viable and visible.
He said it only took seven seconds for the home invaders to run off with his family’s valuables and money.
Gomes, 51, said the company will officially launch the first week of February along with partners such as Crime Stoppers director, Darrin Carmichael, criminologist Robert Singh, self defence trainer Decklon Manson and brand ambassador cricket legend Larry Gomes, who is his uncle.
Delving into how Quintus will operate, he said it has three modules for homes.
Preventative, in which the company would spend about two hours doing a security audit from lighting, doors, windows, and landscaping. Situational and post-trauma which he said would cost $2,500 and a cash back customer incentive of $500 for every paying reference.
He also highlighted that the company has created a non-disclosure agreement, which the homeowner signs first of all.
“Because you invited me into your home is the aspect of trust. With that trust, there’s a responsibility that I don’t disclose any information about your home.”
The corporate package, Gomes noted, will include an onsite service or offsite boardroom service available at a cost of $6,000 for up to six employees and $10,000 for seven to 20 employees.
Once homeowners and businesses sign up, they will be given a Quintus pack with various devices to protect themselves in an emergency.
Gomes, who was a property manager at Loveridge Enterprises in Southampton England from 2005, said his duties included home security design and installation, protection and securing of human/material assets. His experience in England explains his meticulousness in creating the security consultancy service.
Asked how much money was invested in the establishment of Quintus, Gomes said his investment was $50,000.
“I told myself that this is an investment which I’m willing to not earn a dollar from. If Quintus falls flat, the worst-case scenario, the number of customers is zero. I did my best.
“The more people who can be educated, the better it is for us. So instead of just sitting back and saying, hey, we have a crime problem, lock my doors. This took two years of planning. It was thought through and well analysed, and as I said, the cashback component was where I felt the business could spread the message,” he detailed.
Asked if there are already prospects on board, Gomes said “I have gotten a lot of good reviews coming out of that. I do anticipate that when we do launch, we should have a few customers already lined up and ready to go. So yes, the response has been positive because like I said, crime right now is like oxygen. It is everywhere. It’s affecting everybody. People are not going out as much anymore.”
And in terms of partnering with security firms, Gomes said the Quintus model right now has not looked at that aspect simply because he wants the consultancy brand to be of a very high standard.
“If I can’t put my fingerprint on who the security firm is hiring, the quality of the individual who is doing that, I cannot put the Quintus brand out there to partner with a security firm at this point.”
“If Quintus builds its credibility, the brand becomes strong, maybe then we can partner with a firm that allows me to be part of the vetting process of what I expect from the guards, what are the consequences if the guards do not perform, and then we can have that conversation,” he emphasised.
But honestly, Gomes said his experience with security guards at his businesses is that a few individuals are very good, but there are a few who are very poor.
On whether Quintus would be looking to team up with an insurance company, Gomes said “The desire of Quintus would be to partner with an insurance company, because when we are able to provide this level of education and this level of awareness for the client, the client should be able to go to an insurance company and say, okay, I have done a consultancy with Quintus. I have my reference number.”
The brand ambassador Larry Gomes aka Mr. Dependable said he saw it necessary to be part of Quintus as it is the first time such a company has been developed in this country.
The senior Gomes said it is important that initiatives like this are given the time of day as it would better equip homeowners with the knowledge during the robbery.
“My aim is also to bring in as many customers for the business. I have a friend who has multiple businesses and Mark is currently in talks with him. In my cricket circles, I tend to educate them about the company. We are no longer spring chickens so every opportunity to secure one’s self is very important,” Gomes added.