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Independent security risk assessment

Many people ask why they need to have a security risk assessment done. The answer is actually very straightforward; a security risk assessment is an information gathering investigation which exposes your possible problem areas and vulnerabilities so that you can do something about them.

Most people believe that security is simply a matter of putting in an alarm system or some burglar bars and indeed, this is what most security companies have led the public to perceive as adequate security. Truth be known, most criminals know more about your home alarm system than you do. An alarm does not protect you . . . it merely warns you. Most criminals also know how to get over an electric fence and through burglar bars. Burglar bars and electric fences do not stop criminals, they merely slow them down.

In order to put proper security and safety measures in place you need to be in control, and to be in control you need information. A security risk assessment provides you with that information which puts you in control in the event that your security is breached.

Because of the fact that most security companies are primarily concerned with moving product or selling services, they will stop giving you advice as soon as these typical and partly effective measures have been put into place. However, really securing your home or business is a three pronged strategy involving deterrents along with knowledge and preparedness. This is where an independent security risk assessment is invaluable.

Poking, probing and snooping around

Rather than simply advising you to buy the most expensive alarm system on the market, an independent security risk assessor will inspect your home, poke around your property, research your lifestyle and snoop around your neighbourhood to find out exactly where your vulnerabilities are and what factors are likely to tempt criminals to target your home or business. Once he has neutralised these factors, he will make sure that the security measures you already have in place are all in good working order as well as establishing whether or not they will be effective within the context of your unique circumstances and lifestyle.

He may recommend additional products if your present setup is inadequate or create a system for you from scratch if you do not yet have any security installed. But most of all, an independent security risk assessor concerns himself with putting you in control of your own safety.

While we like to believe that security measures will keep criminals out, this kind of thinking is simply not realistic – especially not in this day and age where violent crime abounds. An independent security risk assessor knows that experienced criminals are capable of finding their way through any system if they are determined enough.

Most people rely so heavily on their security measures that they never stop to consider what they will actually do in case of a security breach. As a result, if they find themselves having to face an incident, they panic, act irrationally, and unwittingly endanger themselves and their families.

An independent security risk assessor will not only create the best possible measures for keeping criminals out, he will also assume the possibility of a security breach and provide you with a safety plan so that you are able to manage your circumstances in case of this eventuality.

A safety plan will enable you to stay in control of the situation as it unfolds while at the same time mobilising resources swiftly and keeping yourself and your family out of harm’s way while you wait for help to arrive. This is one of the most neglected, and yet one of the most important, aspects of an holistic security plan.

Information is power. You cannot make competent decisions without it and this is as true in security as it is in every other field. Alwinco is an independent security risk assessment consulting company with 30 years of experience under its belt. Years of experience reverse engineering crime scenes has given it an intimate working knowledge of criminal tactics and crime fighting.

This is the third article in the series from Alwinco discussing the various aspects of a comprehensive risk assessment.

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