RiskUKOctober2017

Mail Room Security Management: Systems and Procedures
Following on from the recent powder and
Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks
on Government and religious
establishments, mail room security has now
become one of the biggest challenges facing
heads of risk and security. Indeed, any of the
regular readers of Risk UK may be surprised to
learn that suspected IEDs and other suspect
packages are regularly discovered in the UK.
As the methods by which suspect packages
might be delivered are changing every day, it’s
also very easy for organisations to become
complacent in relation to their daily mail room
operations. With effective training and the use
of scanning devices, mail room operatives are
the first line of defence against postal threats.
Regularly reviewing and updating mail room
security and personnel training should become
a normal part of security planning for any large
organisation, but what steps need to be taken?
The first step for any business looking to
secure its mail room is to undertake a threat
assessment. That detailed assessment should
begin by examining all current processes and
equipment and identifying specifically how the
organisation will combat any potential postal
threats. Conducted on a regular basis, this
process will ensure the business remains on
the front foot and prepared for any evolving
security threats.
The threat assessment should examine risk
at entry to the building and how visitors are
screened and bags searched at this juncture.
How post is delivered, the physical location of
the mail room and pinpointing any potential
surrounding threats that may be business
critical are further considerations.
Rather than a single point of entry, we often
find that there are multiple points of entry for
post in a building (for example, Royal Mail and
courier deliveries into a loading bay and handdelivered
items through reception). These
access points – and the security level required
at each of them – must be considered as part of
the overall threat assessment.
Organisations should then look at how they
identify and handle each type of specific
security threat. Current known threats include
chemical or biological agents in powder or
liquid form, as well as explosives and items
deliberately designed to inflict physical and
psychological harm.
In addition, the location of the mail room and
any critical services, such as computer servers
or utilities, as well as any neighbouring
personnel should be considered. If they’re
within any potential blast area, changes may be
required to ensure that any attack or
detonation would have the minimum possible
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Would your members of staff know precisely what to do if a
situation should arise whereby a suspect package is found in
the company’s building? Jason Wakefield shares his insights
on this hugely important topic, explains the risks faced by
today’s Mail Room operations and evaluates in detail how to
effectively address them
effect on the business and that the area
affected can be closed off safely with ease.
Containment issues
Following the threat assessment,
recommendations and an action plan should be
produced detailing all required security
measures, including what to do if a suspect
package, weapons, powders or explosives
should be found. This affords a thorough
understanding of the threats and how to
protect the building and the people within it.
Full procedures with actions on finding
suspect devices should be written, practised
and updated on a regular basis such that
operators and security staff know exactly what
to do if a suspect device should be found.
Following a threat assessment, many
organisations will decide to invest in or
upgrade the mail room scanning technology
they have at their disposal. If an organisation
currently owns an x-ray scanning machine that’s
over eight years old, the chances are this
machine will be inadequate for dealing with the
advancing capabilities of today’s terror threats.
There are various types of machine available
to consider from a variety of manufacturers, but
Jason Wakefield: Sales
Director at Todd Research
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