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How many wrongs make a right?

This is something that has been said for many years, and it is true. No matter how many wrongs you have, it will never make a right. Let me put it into a security perspective for you.

Most buildings, whether corporate buildings, shopping centres, homes, estates and so on, are designed and built without security and crime in mind. This is the first wrong.

Let’s focus on residential estates, corporations and residential homes as these are seemingly targeted the most by crime. Remember, the security aspect was wrong from the get-go, which now leads to wrong number two: business owners, estate managers, homeowners all want to ‘fix’ their security. How do they do it? The only way they know how: they go to a security provider.

What most people overlook is the fact that a security provider’s main purpose is to sell their hardware or services. They do not take the security risk into account. To be fair, they do not understand security risks as they are not trained to be risk assessors. Their focus is on selling whatever they need to sell to get the commission, bonus, salary or whatever they are working for. In short, they are actually doing their job.

This brings us to wrong number three. The security risk is not identified. Some smart-mouthed man once said: “It’s not a problem if you don’t call it one.” To that, I say: “I am calling this a problem.”

Giving medication to a sick person before an accurate diagnosis is made could make matters worse, or even result in a fatality. Can a diagnosis be made simply by looking at someone? No. This is the same for security.

Installing security hardware and paying for security services without knowing if you really need it is like putting up a Christmas tree in April. It does not make sense, and it has no purpose. Just because you have a Christmas tree with all the lights, sparkles and presents in April does not make it Christmas. You can even play Christmas carols; it still doesn’t make it Christmas. Yes, it might feel like Christmas in your home, but I assure you it is not.

Having the best cameras, security officers on duty, alarm systems, and everything in between does not mean you have security. Wrong number four.

It might look like you have security, and it might feel like it, but as long as there are risks, the criminals will always have the opportunity to commit a crime, and that would be like Christmas for them.

Andre Mundell.

Two, three, or even four wrongs do not make a right, no matter how hard you try. It might work for a while, but the camouflage only lasts so long. You can still make a wrong right if you take the necessary steps to do so, and the first step is to get an independent security risk assessor to conduct an independent security risk assessment on the property.

A security risk assessor’s job is to identify the risks and to write a security plan that will eliminate these risks. If a risk is eliminated, it means that there is no opportunity for crime, which is something we all want.

Once this is done and the risks have been identified, suitable solutions can be identified, and then the risks can be eliminated. I am not saying that a security provider does not have a role to play in this process. On the contrary, they have a vitally important role.

They still need to supply and install the hardware, software and services, as the security risk assessor can never be part of the solution. The difference is that the security provider will now have a plan to work from. They will know what to provide you with because it is in line with the security risk.

The most important thing to remember is that a risk remains a risk, no matter how much glitter and confetti you cover it with. If the risk is there, criminals will find it and use the opportunity to do what they do best: commit crime.

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