“Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive” – Andy Grove, author and founder of Intel.
Heightened security fears around sensitive commercial and public sector properties are leading to more regular evaluation of both physical barriers and the systems and protocols that support them.
Carrying out a comprehensive physical security assessment more often is now imperative. This is particularly true if your property contains the type of valuable items that thieves target, or is particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks or saboteurs.
There is also increasing pressure to test vulnerability in the face of the increasing use of sophisticated technology by determined criminals. The ever-present danger of vehicles being used to force entry or destroy protection systems is also a pressing concern.
Looking at the 3 Ds of security
These assessments of your security systems, controls, and their relative effectiveness generally focus on the 3 Ds; deter, delay and detect.
Having high-security perimeter fencing and the systems to support it – clearly on display – can be enough to deter some types of intruders.
At the very least, you need to be sure that your security measures would sufficiently delay a determined effort to breach your site. The ultimate goal is to be able to detect any threat, on any section of your perimeter, 24 hours a day.
Newer PIDs for increased risk
Following your site security assessment and analysis of the results, the amount you invest in upgrading depends on how seriously you need to take trespassing and theft risks. If you want to remain up to date, you need to install the latest perimeter intrusion detection systems (PIDs).
Having a perimeter fence that’s near-impossible to scale or cut may no longer be enough. A scattering of CCTV cameras – particularly with restricted or poor image transmission – will certainly not foil determined intruders.
For many organisations, this makes Electrified Perimeter Fencing or pulse-monitored fencing an absolute must.
Integration and staff skills
It is also vital to test not just individual security equipment and systems, but how well they are integrated together.
Integrated systems create the option of having your entire security control focused on one central location. Thanks to modern levels of connectivity you could potentially even have an offsite control room anywhere in the world.
Finally, any assessment of security measures and improvements should take into account staff training and their ability to respond to threats. That ensures they can use modern intruder detection technology with 100% reliability.