Pepper spray and pepper gas: a non-lethal layer of protection

Pepper gas and pepper spray are the same thing: a concentrated extract of chilli peppers, known as OC, delivered as a spray, gel or mist. When it reaches someone's face, their eyes close, their skin burns and they struggle to breathe normally for a while. It doesn't rely on strength or size, and it isn't designed to cause lasting harm.

The term "pepper gas security" covers two different things:

• Personal pepper spray: a small canister you carry in a pocket, a bag or on your keys, for use if someone attacks you.
• Fixed pepper-gas units: installed in a building and set off by an alarm or a panic button, they fill a space with pepper gas so an intruder can't stay in it.

Tell Marco which of these you have in mind. He'll explain exactly what DBS supplies and fits, and what would suit your situation.

• Individuals who walk, run or commute, or who arrive home after dark and wait in the driveway for the gate.
• Households that want a non-lethal option in the house, or a fixed unit protecting a safe room or passage.
• Businesses with cash offices, stockrooms or premises that sit empty after hours.
• Staff who travel, collect cash or work alone.
• People under a specific threat, alongside VIP and close protection.

The two answer different questions. A personal spray protects you wherever you are: on a walk, in a car park, at your own gate. It only works if it's on you and you can reach it in a second or two.

A fixed unit protects a place, whether or not anyone is there. It's meant for a space you never want an intruder to stay in, such as a cash office, a stockroom, a safe room or the passage to the bedrooms. Because it fills the space, it needs careful planning: who else might be in that room, how people get out, and what sets it off.

Some people need one, some need both, and some are better served by another layer altogether. We'll tell you which, even if the answer isn't pepper gas.

According to Andrew Scott Attorneys, no licence or permit is needed to carry pepper spray in South Africa. The rules of self-defence still apply to how you use it: the force must be necessary, no more than is needed to stop the threat, and aimed only at the person attacking you. If you can get away, the law expects you to. If you're unsure how this applies to your situation, ask a lawyer.

A few practical habits make pepper spray far more useful:

• Keep it where your hand can reach it, not at the bottom of a handbag.
• Know which way the nozzle points without looking.
• Check the expiry date on the canister and replace it when it's due.
• Mind the wind, especially with mist sprays.
• Use it to get away, then get to safety and call for help.
• Keep it away from children.

Pepper gas works best as part of a plan, not instead of one. An electric fence and a working gate keep people further away. An alarm system with panic buttons raises the alarm, and it's also what can set off a fixed pepper-gas unit. Monitoring and guards cover the times you can't.

What affects the quote depends on what you need. For personal sprays, it's the type and how many. For fixed units, it's the size of the space, how many units it needs and how they're triggered.

DBS Security is a family business with 25 years in the trade, owned and run by Pieter de Bruyn Jr and his son Marco. Get a free quote for pepper gas security, or see the areas we cover.