On Guard of Peace and Quiet

From the earliest times it is known: protect things to keep them perfectly safe. Actually, Simbirsk was founded once as a fort to cover frontiers of the Russian Empire. When the borderline was pushed far to the East and external threat of raids did not exist anymore, it by no means inferred that the peace of civilians and their properties needed no protection.

Looking Back…

It is historical fact that the local police in the century before last was few in number, and the most of the town had nearly no night lighting on the streets. Hence, the watchmen were the only hope for the late wayfarers to reach their home safe from night robbers. This service was financed by citizens. Once a month, a watchman took his thick book and made the round of premises, stores and other places in his precinct to collect light fee for service whereof his modest salary was paid.

Though there were also servicemen in Simbirsk responsible for protection of specific locations, and even public places – parks and gardens. Preserved documents witness that in the mid-19th century six men watched over Vladimir Garden and were hired for 288 rubles by the town in order that “malefactors played no mean tricks in the areas of public resort”.

According to Aleksey Yastrebov, a local history expert who lived at that time, the sentry, every single person, was composed of middle-aged men with whistle as their only weapon, quite efficient yet against “inexperienced and fearful” criminals of those days. It must be said that the street crime rate in Simbirsk before the revolution was incomparably lower than in contemporary Ulyanovsk. What is more, among older guards there were able-bodied people who saw active service and could teach any young man a thing or two! For instance, the district where Mr. Yastrebov dwelled himself was supervised by a certain Arseniy Vorozheykin described by the local history expert as follows: “He was thick-set, vigorous and prompt. He had somewhat special eye for bad guys, and prevented shoplifting not once. On one occasion he got hurt: a perpetrator broke his crown, but, happily, everything turned out well. His courage was illustrious, and the drunk would rather not meddle with him.”

In Soviet era, the guards were needed in the post-revolution troubled years of criminal outbreak, and after, during the early of the Great Patriotic War, they were brought back – as druzhinnik (member of Voluntary People’s Guard) this time – who observed blackout discipline by shaking their rattles... Late autumn, 1950, the guards went on their last watch over the night streets of Ulyanovsk. Since then, the police was considered to be enough to maintain public order…

Work for Professionals

In 1990-s, security business became again as relevant as ever. It were these turbulent years that made it clear for most people that well-organized professional guarding guarantees stability and protection for any enterprise. Naturally, security activities should be run by people possessing required knowledge, and most security experts came from the armed forces.

Vyacheslav Petrov is one of them. He served more than ten years in operational forces under Ministry of Internal Affairs, and a good many times, in flashpoints. In civil life he continued doing what he can do. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich had worked for law enforcement department at UAZ (Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant), guarded the largest culture center in Ulyanovsk, and held various positions at security companies before he thought that he gained experience sufficient to found his own Private Security Company.

Now FORT+ has firm authority in Ulyanovsk Oblast as a reliable partner, organization with top caliber professionals. This is due to the fact that in the very beginning the following principle was taken as a basis: good security enterprise should operate strictly in accordance with law – from adherence to all the rules and regulations of security business to strict compliance with social commitment to its employees.

Its first large-scale entity – Ulyanovskmolprom JSC on Moskovskoe Shosse – proved that FORT+ has true professionals committed to their responsibilities. Good services are always in demand, and other objects followed the first one – schools, kindergartens, cultural institutions, shops, trade centers, and industrial enterprises, at last. It is not an overstatement to say that FORT+ guards the best part of enterprises that are under construction or has already been built by foreign investors in Ulyanovsk Oblast – such as TAKATA Rus, FM logistic, Hempel, and others. The presence of this company is undoubtedly one of the important factors in investment attractiveness of our region.

Nowadays, you can see plates informing that a site is secured by FORT+ in the most trade, recreational and office centers in Ulyanovsk. These are Amarant, Spartak, Simbirsk, Mirazh and many others. FORT+ watches over the majority of them “from the first pile”, as the saying goes.

Due to demand for professional security services, Vyacheslav Petrov established another PSC – SPRUT specializing in protection of agricultural enterprises and production facilities.

Being addressed a question about the main ingredient of success in his business and professional approach to work, Vyacheslav Petrov answered: “The main thing is personnel, its selection, training and social safeguards. We stick to the slogan in our work: Faithfulness, Integrity and Transparency in relations with customers and our employees.”

Sergey Yuryev
AiF in Ulyanovsk Weekly, Mart, 2015