Every business facility will have some form of perimeter that will identify the limits of the property and may also provide some form of security in preventing, delaying or controlling access inside. Depending upon the nature of the business and (of course!) the recommendations made in the Security Risk Assessment (SRA), there will be a huge variation on what that perimeter is and how it is constructed.
Obviously, there is a huge difference when considering the secure perimeter for an oil refinery and one for a branch for a commercial bank. In addition to any local regulatory requirements that may apply to certain business sectors, you may also have to take into account the public’s perception of your security and their ease of interaction with it. When accessing a government facility or a foreign embassy for example, people expect security to be high and they will accept the need to pass through a number of checks before getting access without complaint. They would not expect the same level of barriers or restrictions when trying to access their local bank branch.
Even though you may require a perimeter wall, fence or barrier with an assortment of electronic surveillance and lighting equipment as part of a layered protection strategy, this does not have to be an ugly or unsightly structure. Whilst many industrial facilities may not be concerned about aesthetics, those that have a greater interaction with visitors and the public may want to ensure they project a softer appearance without limiting the effectiveness of the structure itself. If possible and with costs considered, there is an argument to find an effective balance between ‘function’ and ‘form’ to demonstrate you have really thought about security and what exactly is required in protecting your facility and the people who visit it.
Dependent upon your business, site or space around the facility, there may be limited room or scope for a perimeter wall to be constructed. In this case, your building’s outer wall will become the perimeter and all the security surveillance, sensor and lighting equipment will need to be fitted to it instead.
In addition to the physical structure of the perimeter itself there may be other requirements such as CCTV, motion detection systems, lighting and patrol routes to consider when designing or upgrading a security infrastructure. No matter how state-of-the-art these systems may be, it is paramount that they are efficiently and professionally monitored and reacted to if alarms are set off or suspicious activity is detected.
When considering your perimeter security needs, you should consider independent advice in order to be confident of your requirements; otherwise you may find yourself spending far too much on equipment that is unnecessary, or being persuaded to buy products with specifications that are too high, or worse still, spending a fortune on a system that does not even counter the threats it is designed to protect you against.
Perimeter security always needs to be in keeping with the function of the facility or its business operations, the perceived threats and risks it may face, and any regulatory or imposed standards and all this should be achieved for a reasonable and realistic cost…simple!
I will discuss Manned Guarding as part of the security structure in the next article...
Le Beck CEO Anthony Tesar can be reached on CEO@lebeckinternational.com