RiskUKOctober2017

Counter-Terrorism: Physical Security Solutions
Further reinforced by a
lack of Government
investment in safety
measures such as the
police service itself, it
has now become
increasingly important
for organisations to
invest in their own
security solutions.
That investment is
absolutely vital. Here,
Anton Pieterse
outlines precisely why
Anton Pieterse:
Managing Director of Safetell
The Steadfast Approach
Look around you. The world is changing...
and fast. We once dreamed about the year
‘2017’ and a far-flung future with flying
cars, self-tying shoes and pill-sized dinners. In
reality, 2017 has become something much
bleaker. With rising levels of crime and terror,
especially in densely populated locations such
as shopping malls and stadiums, and austerity
continuing to create divides, the protection of
citizens is now as important as it has ever been.
A cost-effective security plan can be
produced by analysing the benefits of a
security solution and confirming if the cost is at
least equal to that of the protected assets,
while also considering the additional costs that
might be incurred due to an incident. The
potential risks and costs can range from loss of
business during the investigation to
replacement costs, loss of reputation, potential
injury/stress and overall downtime.
Last year, the British Retail Consortium
reported a staggering 40% increase in violence
and abuse against staff working in retail
positions, highlighting an obvious rise in those
who believe they can conduct crime and exhibit
aggression as they do so. This increase in
violence has occurred even though the number
of CCTV systems increases year-on-year. That
begs the question as to how effective CCTV
really is in reducing incidents of violent crime.
One of the common misconceptions when
first developing a security solution alongside a
security audit is to focus on electronic security,
such as CCTV, that provides greater surveillance
and networked benefits. However, as noted in a
study by the UK’s College of Policing when
reviewing 41 studies about the effectiveness of
CCTV, successful usage is only found through
significant investment in constant, well-staffed
live monitoring stations with the efficient
deployment of security personnel to locate,
identify and capture aggressors.
The study found that, overall, CCTV can
reduce crime in a certain area by dint of
displacement to neighbouring areas.
The most significant finding in the study is
that there was no evidence of an effect on
violent crime. CCTV is considered a type of
‘formal surveillance’ that can benefit a security
team in terms of visibility, but can only actively
prevent crime when working with an effective
and often costly deployment team.
CCTV is seen to be significantly more
successful when combined with other deterrent
and intervention methods in the form of
physical security.
Deter and defend
Physical security has the ability to deter and
defend through a series of target-hardening
solutions, such as installing attack-resistant
screens on counters, doors, walls and windows
within a premises. Physical security solutions
can deter attackers and protect staff in the
absence of a reaction team that could deal with
the matter, while also still providing hardened
resistance to the assets protected within.
The ability exists to design and construct
physical security products to exact
requirements, allowing for protection against
high intensities of fire, manual attack, bullet
attacks and even blast explosion, providing
protection for secure environments – such as
retail counters, Data Centres and banks – from
some of the most violent physical attacks.
Counter-terrorism solutions come in all forms
and for all environments. They often require
bespoke elements to be designed and installed
for seamless integration. As a general rule in
security, no standard is fit for all applications.
Plenty of great physical security and electronic
solutions can exist and work successfully, but
an ideal strategy for one environment doesn’t
necessarily translate exactly to another.
Indeed, bespoke installations and physical
security systems have risen in prominence,
allowing for organisations to gain a full counterterrorism
solution for their exact working
practices at specification stage.
In today’s world, there’s one statement that
rings very true indeed: no business security
means your business is at risk.
38
www.risk-uk.com