Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Emergency Management: The Need for Better Public and Private Sector Partnership
We will begin this discussion back in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina considering we are still reeling from the impact of Sandy here in the Bahamas.
If the “American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn’t be in this crisis.” Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard, paraphrasing Sheriff Harry Lee during an interview on “Meet the Press,” in October 2005
The Washington Post in its September 6, 2005 edition states: “Over the next few days [beginning two days after the hurricane hit], Wal-Mart’s response to Katrina—an unrivaled $20 million in cash donations, 1,500 truckloads of free merchandise, food for 100,000 meals
Move forward to August 2010 with the Copiapó mining accident, also known as the "Chilean mining accident", when the Chilean government needed to get a drill from Berlin, Pennsylvania, to the San Jose mine where 33 miners are trapped, it turned to UPS. Enter Cat Island with Hurricane Irene in August 2011, where the first world to come out of a devastated Cat Island was from a private business owner. These are just a few of the many examples which in my opinion set the stage for improving on national efforts for hurricane and emergency management that engage more readily the private sector.
Emergency management speaks to awareness training preparedness response and recovery for potentially loss causing disruptive events. From fires to bomb threats to serve weather conditions, good business demands your ability to manage the risk of the event occurring. What makes a hurricane so complex is the fact that is a natural occurring event that combines several forces of nature namely strong winds, sea surges, and rain. Never the less unlike let’s say an earthquake and tsunami which are very, very sudden and unpredictable events, a hurricane is for the most part is predictable and announced at least several hours in advance. This factor can greatly help in reducing the loss of life, movable property and fortifying fixed assets to reduce loss potential and damage.
Then why does it appear that after several hundred years of knowledge we in the Bahamas seem so unprepared and uncoordinated to the point of amazing. As I monitored the response to Sandy, I was troubled because of the limited availableness of information on one hand, the reporting of conditions on its own is not within itself good information. The various news outlets hand no solutions or answers, they were mere conduits that from what I could hear provide no help. During such events of this type all radio, television stations and other news source should be made to tie into one source periodically during the event so that the dissemination of information is consistent and constant. The typical practices on the other hand of simply giving alerts without adequate interpretation and explanation should be rectified. For example, I listened as a caller from Abaco asked a radio host for estimated time of departure of Sandy, the reply was uninformed and uncertain, and never the less they proceed to give the caller information. After hanging the host suddenly realized that there was available access to a representative from the Met Office, who provide clear answer that was at least 24 hours past the time previously stated to the caller. Maybe it is just me and I stand to be corrected, but I am unable to find the National Emergency Management Agency online. This is not to say it is not there, but certainly it is a hard find but it should not be such. Amazingly we are still be advised of the various ‘Hurricane Shelters’ giving one the choice of evacuation, without properly explaining the ramifications of not vacating your home. Do we really understand the difficulty and danger attempting to get to a ‘shelter’ during a storm, and what makes a shelter a ‘shelter’? Has this building been tested, fortified and outfitted as such.
While doing my best to keep in touch with friends and family in the Family Islands on several occasions it was mentioned that the Bahamas is not Nassau and they felt neglected. Understandably the stress of the time contributed to these statements, however I can say this now, really Nassau is very different than the Family Islands. This is a reality that should not be ignored but embraced so that proper planning can be done. What should a national plan include; well here is my opinionated plan.
Firstly the plan should involve developed to include the major stake holders from the private and public sector. For example is the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce / Employers Confederation represented on NEMA?
“Effective incident management of catastrophic events requires coordination of a wide range of organizations and activities, public and private. Under the current response framework, the Federal government merely “coordinates” resources to meet the needs of local and State governments based upon their requests for assistance. Pursuant to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Response Plan (NRP), Federal and State agencies build their command and coordination structures to support the local command and coordination structures during an emergency. Yet this framework does not address the conditions of a catastrophic event with large scale competing needs, insufficient resources, and the absence of functioning local governments. These limitations proved to be major inhibitors to the effective marshalling of Federal, State, and local resources to respond to Katrina.”
The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned Chapter 5 Page 52: February 2006.
Essentially a National Enterprise Risk Management System, which is comprehensive systems approach to prevention, protection, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery from disruptive events. Does this mean toss what we have in place, not at all; it does mean however reassess the inherent risk faced when managing an event like a hurricane and improving on what is in place. It appears that the plan needs revamping and better coordination in the first instance and just as importantly better communication. I submit that I as citizen have a role to play in the execution of the plan, a very important role. Notwithstanding that I may be a part of the formal NEMA Team; never the less I am expected to take certain type of action during emergencies if only knowing who to call.
With that said the plan should have a dedicated year round communication / public relations / marketing program. Essentially, hurricane or rather emergency response should become a part of our vocabulary. We should take a page from the Japanese, who despite being in one of the most earthquakes prone areas have taken extraordinary steps to prepare is people for such events.
Emily Rauhala in the March 11, 2011 Time World article writes;
“Emergency drills organized by public and private organizations work, among other things, to transport "stranded" commuters from their offices to their homes. Japan's tsunami warning service, set up in 1952, consists of 300 sensors around the archipelago, including 80 aquatic sensors that monitor seismic activity 24/7.”
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2058390,00.html#ixzz2AgtNmkqi
Japan is an ideal example for us here in the Bahamas because they too are a country made up of several islands and have the task of reproducing central government several times over. On this point the citizenry must be educated on the fact that operation a country of this archipelagic type is a lot more complicated that it appears. Central government must with limited resources attempt to provide the same service to the family islands, a difficult task to say the least. On this note can someone tell me why we do not have access to helicopters that can do more than fly overs, but bring resources quick time into impacted areas?
The predictability of hurricanes demands a more comprehensive readiness effort by the government, government must lead this effort in my opinion with implementing new regulations regarding emergency situations and utilizing the expertise available in the private sector. It also demands the private sector to be more involved in the planning efforts as they related to preparedness and response. Overall there is room for much improvement across the board on all sides our situation is unique when compared to many of our neighbors in the region, thus we must ensure that our efforts to manage this and other emergencies goes beyond the norm.
Monday, October 1, 2012
The Importance of a Good Security Team
A few years ago I had the pleasure of working for a major developer / investor here in the Bahamas, who specialized in gated communities and is a major player in 3 of the high end communities in the Bahamas and the crème de la crème in Orlando. In my meetings with him as head of security he shared the fact that security was the major selling point for these residential properties. If the home owner does not feel safe, they will not buy and if they do; they will sell immediately if crime and loss are not managed properly. Many other professionals and world leaders share the same perspective, in fact if a company decides to close its doors, the last persons to leave are the security force. This illustrates the importance of security to the success of any business.
The significance of a professional security department is exemplified with the actions of the Atlantis Security Team on Sunday September 22, 2012. There preparedness and response of security ensured that the apparent robbery attempt was not successful. We have seen the media and social network blitz of the events with police cars and police officer parading with guns. I dread to think if the security team failed and the police had to take control of the incident. This is not to say that our men in blue cannot handle crisis events, but most certainly their priority would be different from the vested interest of proprietary guard force. Added to this is the multi-layered approach that must be taken to implementing and managing a protection services for a huge property like Atlantis, the police would have been at a disadvantage.
Ok, I know that you are going to say that I get around, but in a good way. I recall a while back, having the opportunity to see behind the scenes of a major theme park in Orlando, and efforts to ensure that patrons were safe. The security department’s mantra back then was “To Reduce and Eliminate Crime and the Fear of It”. At the time I questioned what I felt was an unrealistic goal, ‘eliminate’ was impossible. I was told by the Director of Safety and Security of the property that he too being a former police officer at one time considered the idea to be unachievable. Never the less he stressed that “unlike policing where the claim to fame is how many crimes have been solved, in security the claim to fame is crime not happening at all.”
If you have been following my column you will note that this is the driving theme for my writings where the police are reactive and security force must be proactive. In a business environment guest, visitors, and staff, cannot get robbed or even have slips and falls, thus preventing loss is key. It makes good business sense especially when you consider the difference in business models. Police are for the most part sponsored by the state and the public treasury, which is very difficult put out of business. On the other hand security forces are usually funded by private entities which can if negligence is perceived and proven can be found liable and incur heavy financial damages.
How do you find a good security force, here are my top 10.
1. Leadership – have a conversation with the leadership and include some of his deputies. If he or she is not professional and knowledgeable, then clearly the tone is set for the rest of the department / company.
2. Guard Quality – certainly the guard may not be at the same education level as that of the managers, but can they at least form a sentence and write.
3. Supervision – are the guards being monitored and visited on a regular basis or are they dropped and left at a site for an entire shift with no type of support services.
4. Policy and Procedures – do they exist, how is the management team ensuring that front-line officers and you as the customer are being made aware of what to do and the expectations.
5. Monthly / Quarterly reports – if the only contact you have with your security team leadership is billing or payroll, you certainly have a problem.
6. Multilayer Approach – is there a plan that encompasses not only the human resource but also electronic and physical assets be they cameras or locking of doors.
7. Emergency Management – what is the plan when everything that can go wrong does?
8. Training / Education – is training via seminars / workshops etc. being provided to the officers and your staff members.
9. Appearance – remember that the security guard in many instances is the first and last impression that people will have of your company, whether the officers are in house or contracted their dress and hygiene is critical.
10. What is being said about their service – solicit feedback from staff and guest, do they feel safe and are they satisfied with the level of service.
The above list is no particular order but in my opinion training and leadership are key to success. The quality of you guard force is really dependent on you as the purchaser and remember you get what you pay for. Too many times company leadership in an effort to cut cost and save money choose a low end security team but unrealistically anticipate high end results.
While listening to the comments of the Minister of National Security and Atlantis CEO regarding the event, they both harped on the excellent response by the Atlantis Team. From what I know thus far, I certainly agree it is job well done.
Gamal Newry is the president of Preventative Measures, loss prevention and asset protection training and consulting company, specializing in policy and procedure development, business security reviews and audits, and emergency and crisis management. Comments can be sent to PO Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas, or e-mail gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures.org
--
Regards,
Gamal
Stay Safe, Stay Strong
Be Safe, Be Strong
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Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Crime vs. Loss: Knowing the Difference
In a modern society, there is no other issue I believe that is more significant than that of protecting our assets. Daily most of us are all focused on acquiring wealth for a better lifestyle and maintaining our freedom, thus it is only natural that the next logical step would be to protect what we have obtained. But what have we obtained? It is exactly the people and things which are valuable to us, that in one way or another, dictate what and who we are. The debate now is not whether we have misplaced our values, but rather to what extent are we prepared to go to keep what is precious to us. That ‘extent’ is asset protection, that ‘extent’ is loss prevention, which we collectively call security or whatever we choose to call it. Simply put, it is keeping what you have safe and secure.
History tells us that people the world over has without a question always thrown there support to the person or group who was prepared to protect the values of that particular society. That is why I believe there will always be employment for the banker, the accountant, soldier, police, auditor and security officer. Why? Because these professionals are assigned to protect what we have worked so hard to obtain. Thus it is my opinion that the acquisition of wealth will always play second seat to the ability to protect wealth. Or maybe the two actions are so intertwined that there really is no difference in them.
Especially of significance is the term "loss prevention" as it sums up all that relates to this topic. The introduction of loss then requires us to carefully strategize our asset protection initiatives. In essence we are trying to stop and if this not successful limit loss of or valuables and really in the wider picture our way of life. With all the loss avenues available to us it seems that securing our valuables may be a daunting task if not impossible. When we consider natural events such as hurricanes and other weather anomaly, then the reality of crime or man-made events, it is very difficult to see ones way out. However the luxury of not developing strategies to survive whatever life throws at us does not exist, really it is a necessity almost like breathing, as it ensures a future.
We must appreciate the word ‘loss’, which is the removal or absence of assets usually via controllable or uncontrollable means. Thus it should be understood that all crime is loss, but not all loss is criminal. The stealing of a car is loss via a crime, as stealing is defined a crime, however the falling of a tree by strong wind on a car, is also the loss of the car.
To ensure that no one is left behind in this discussion, certain foundations must be laid so that you better appreciate my perspective in the matter at hand. It is difficult sometimes to differentiate what is an asset, but it can be broken down into these four components:
People
Property
Information
Reputation
How one defines loss is the critical next step as it varies from organization to organization, and country to country. I have chosen to start with an explanation of crime as I see it. It is not the only way to lose an asset, but it is the most familiar, and one that I think is the easiest to control. Additionally it is of most concern to the corporate sector. Yes it too varies from profession to profession, and sector to sector however, almost all crime events are universal and are seen as loss events that impact revenue.
This starting point sets the stage for the protection strategies that will follow, just as any good physician attempts to find out what the problems are before presenting his diagnosis.
Then what is crime, pray tell? Really, this phenomenon is the choice to do what is wrong, and having full knowledge understanding of what is right. Then some could ask, what is right or wrong? These positives and negatives, yin and yang concepts, are stepped very much into the society where the act is taking place. Cultural perceptions, and conditioning cause us to accept what is right or wrong. But never the less if one is in China, or here in The Bahamas, because of his/her environmental conditioning, then they are aware of the wrong doing or right doing.
What then of the stranger? This individual unfortunately is not free from being a criminal, because of his / her naivety rather they are punished if only for the mandatory 48 hours, which most jurisdictions practice, until their actions are pardoned with the direct instructions of not to do it again.
The definition above is the simple way out, there will however be legal and psychological minds that will attempt to make the matter more complex than necessary. This approach is fine because it only illustrates the need to adequately outline what is criminal, ensuring appropriate accountability for crime.
Gamal Newry is the president of Preventative Measures, loss prevention and asset protection training and consulting company, specializing in policy and procedure development, business security reviews and audits, and emergency and crisis management. Comments can be sent to PO Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas, or e-mail gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures. org
History tells us that people the world over has without a question always thrown there support to the person or group who was prepared to protect the values of that particular society. That is why I believe there will always be employment for the banker, the accountant, soldier, police, auditor and security officer. Why? Because these professionals are assigned to protect what we have worked so hard to obtain. Thus it is my opinion that the acquisition of wealth will always play second seat to the ability to protect wealth. Or maybe the two actions are so intertwined that there really is no difference in them.
Especially of significance is the term "loss prevention" as it sums up all that relates to this topic. The introduction of loss then requires us to carefully strategize our asset protection initiatives. In essence we are trying to stop and if this not successful limit loss of or valuables and really in the wider picture our way of life. With all the loss avenues available to us it seems that securing our valuables may be a daunting task if not impossible. When we consider natural events such as hurricanes and other weather anomaly, then the reality of crime or man-made events, it is very difficult to see ones way out. However the luxury of not developing strategies to survive whatever life throws at us does not exist, really it is a necessity almost like breathing, as it ensures a future.
We must appreciate the word ‘loss’, which is the removal or absence of assets usually via controllable or uncontrollable means. Thus it should be understood that all crime is loss, but not all loss is criminal. The stealing of a car is loss via a crime, as stealing is defined a crime, however the falling of a tree by strong wind on a car, is also the loss of the car.
To ensure that no one is left behind in this discussion, certain foundations must be laid so that you better appreciate my perspective in the matter at hand. It is difficult sometimes to differentiate what is an asset, but it can be broken down into these four components:
People
Property
Information
Reputation
How one defines loss is the critical next step as it varies from organization to organization, and country to country. I have chosen to start with an explanation of crime as I see it. It is not the only way to lose an asset, but it is the most familiar, and one that I think is the easiest to control. Additionally it is of most concern to the corporate sector. Yes it too varies from profession to profession, and sector to sector however, almost all crime events are universal and are seen as loss events that impact revenue.
This starting point sets the stage for the protection strategies that will follow, just as any good physician attempts to find out what the problems are before presenting his diagnosis.
Then what is crime, pray tell? Really, this phenomenon is the choice to do what is wrong, and having full knowledge understanding of what is right. Then some could ask, what is right or wrong? These positives and negatives, yin and yang concepts, are stepped very much into the society where the act is taking place. Cultural perceptions, and conditioning cause us to accept what is right or wrong. But never the less if one is in China, or here in The Bahamas, because of his/her environmental conditioning, then they are aware of the wrong doing or right doing.
What then of the stranger? This individual unfortunately is not free from being a criminal, because of his / her naivety rather they are punished if only for the mandatory 48 hours, which most jurisdictions practice, until their actions are pardoned with the direct instructions of not to do it again.
The definition above is the simple way out, there will however be legal and psychological minds that will attempt to make the matter more complex than necessary. This approach is fine because it only illustrates the need to adequately outline what is criminal, ensuring appropriate accountability for crime.
Gamal Newry is the president of Preventative Measures, loss prevention and asset protection training and consulting company, specializing in policy and procedure development, business security reviews and audits, and emergency and crisis management. Comments can be sent to PO Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas, or e-mail gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures. org
Monday, September 17, 2012
Getting Inside is the Easy Part
The biggest challenge with access control is that successful business’s want people to come inside and purchase merchandise or benefit from a particular service. Whether it is 1st Street and Main, or at a World Wide Web address, an open invitation is given to all to 'come on in'.
In addition these businesses need full time staff, contracted, service providers and vendors to operate. Filtering out those who pose a threat to commerce as opposed to those who are genuine presents a clear and present danger to its success. When this is looked at comprehensively many organizations have just as much entry points as perhaps our archipelago of islands, thus it can be a daunting task. How does a company screen these potential hazards, and yet keep the authentic customer and employee coming back without making them fear for their lives and being so restrictive like a prison?
The variety of possibilities is endless, and will impact physical and electronic security initiatives as well as electronic and data transmissions. In addition the hiring process must also be seen as an access control tool, considering the penetration employees have to high value corporate information.
The crime prevention planner, law enforcement personnel, security consultant, property manager, architect, and human resources professional must put theory into practice to address community disorder, workplace violence, street crime, or acts of terrorism.
Generally the applications of such procedures and strategy can be summed up as follows:
*Permit or deny entry to or presence in a given place.
*Increase or reduce the rate or density of movement to, from, or within a defined place.
*Protect persons, materials, or information against unauthorized observation or removal.
*Prevent injury to people or damage to material.
It is important to be clear which objective is sought, because that influences the type and degree of reliability, and most certainly cost of the control procedures and equipment.
You are reminded that one of the lessons from September 11, 2001, is that primary targets of penetration which received the most damage and loss were all privately owned business, not government operated facilities. Types of organizations being targeted are largely;
When compared to government operations these targets are considered soft
The potential for collateral damage is increased
There are a variety of techniques to employ in granting or denying access to a given place, people or information. These techniques, some as simple as a deadbolt and pad lock on the door, others as sophisticated as coded card access systems and biometrics; all are intended to protect against unauthorized entry, use and abuse of information.
Never the less we are reminded that in far too many instances the person on the inside pose the greatest threat. By negligence or intentional acts employees account for higher rates of loss in a business. In one case, major losses from a locked storeroom occurring over an extended period of time, were traced back to a second-shift supervisor who had devised a tool to open the door to the storeroom in order to fulfill production needs. On a routine basis, he sent an employee to the area to get stock items necessary for the job. In time, all of the employees learned how to enter the locked storeroom, and some began to remove other items for their own personal use or for sale if they had an outside market value. The supervisor, an individual with a high sense of personal integrity, was shocked to learn of the role that he had played in the theft, when it was finally uncovered.
A deeply rooted fallacy among business managers and owners is that security begins and ends with the security officer at the gate or entrance. These persons feel that access control is the responsibility of the uniformed security service, and any losses can be attributed to performance failures on the part of the security staff rather than the administrative or operating departments. All employees have a role to play in protecting the company from loss, certainly for loss to occur the perpetrator must first get inside.
In addition these businesses need full time staff, contracted, service providers and vendors to operate. Filtering out those who pose a threat to commerce as opposed to those who are genuine presents a clear and present danger to its success. When this is looked at comprehensively many organizations have just as much entry points as perhaps our archipelago of islands, thus it can be a daunting task. How does a company screen these potential hazards, and yet keep the authentic customer and employee coming back without making them fear for their lives and being so restrictive like a prison?
The variety of possibilities is endless, and will impact physical and electronic security initiatives as well as electronic and data transmissions. In addition the hiring process must also be seen as an access control tool, considering the penetration employees have to high value corporate information.
The crime prevention planner, law enforcement personnel, security consultant, property manager, architect, and human resources professional must put theory into practice to address community disorder, workplace violence, street crime, or acts of terrorism.
Generally the applications of such procedures and strategy can be summed up as follows:
*Permit or deny entry to or presence in a given place.
*Increase or reduce the rate or density of movement to, from, or within a defined place.
*Protect persons, materials, or information against unauthorized observation or removal.
*Prevent injury to people or damage to material.
It is important to be clear which objective is sought, because that influences the type and degree of reliability, and most certainly cost of the control procedures and equipment.
You are reminded that one of the lessons from September 11, 2001, is that primary targets of penetration which received the most damage and loss were all privately owned business, not government operated facilities. Types of organizations being targeted are largely;
When compared to government operations these targets are considered soft
The potential for collateral damage is increased
There are a variety of techniques to employ in granting or denying access to a given place, people or information. These techniques, some as simple as a deadbolt and pad lock on the door, others as sophisticated as coded card access systems and biometrics; all are intended to protect against unauthorized entry, use and abuse of information.
Never the less we are reminded that in far too many instances the person on the inside pose the greatest threat. By negligence or intentional acts employees account for higher rates of loss in a business. In one case, major losses from a locked storeroom occurring over an extended period of time, were traced back to a second-shift supervisor who had devised a tool to open the door to the storeroom in order to fulfill production needs. On a routine basis, he sent an employee to the area to get stock items necessary for the job. In time, all of the employees learned how to enter the locked storeroom, and some began to remove other items for their own personal use or for sale if they had an outside market value. The supervisor, an individual with a high sense of personal integrity, was shocked to learn of the role that he had played in the theft, when it was finally uncovered.
A deeply rooted fallacy among business managers and owners is that security begins and ends with the security officer at the gate or entrance. These persons feel that access control is the responsibility of the uniformed security service, and any losses can be attributed to performance failures on the part of the security staff rather than the administrative or operating departments. All employees have a role to play in protecting the company from loss, certainly for loss to occur the perpetrator must first get inside.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Birds of a Feather
Reducing Crime in The Bahamas
At the time of writing this, I am at the 58th American Society for Industrial Security Conference here in the “City of Brotherly Love” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has been a busy first two days with class starting from Sunday and we are still at it. It is always good when liked minded professionals come together to share in fellowship, it almost feels like church.
Forums like these remind you that there are many shared concerns, opportunities and threats. A collaborative approach benefits all stake holders and more importantly reminds us that we are all in this together. In his book’ Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty’ Harvey Mackey stresses the importance of building good relationships before you need to draw on them, essentially the power of the network. I am reminded that this fact holds fast for my profession as well.
That is why events like these are so refreshing and energizing. Every security professional should ensure that they maintain a professional network that is global in its perspective. This is important on many fronts because as much as we would like to think that we are unique; The Bahamas is very much like any other part of the world.
Sitting at lunch this past Sunday it was interesting to listening to my counterparts from around the globe speak regarding their concerns of the increased violence that is plaguing their respective country. No one it seems was immune from this wave of violence. It appears that the young men all over the world were becoming more violent and have disrespect and disregard for life.
So what of the male in our society, what has gone wrong? Many positions were posed be it the lack of a father figure, the increase it was termed ultra-liberalism or prosperity and materialism. How do we correct and change the mindset? A national service, clearly the parents have failed or rather not equipped thus civic, church, and government, must step in to save the country. This was the consensus agreed upon by over 6 representative nations. Sounded very familiar, I heard this before, it appears that we have the answers but are afraid to act on them.
As we spoke on this topic on this cool Sunday afternoon, came the roar of motorcycles by the dozens in downtown Philly, I smiled to myself ‘mudda sick, this Nassau aye’. But just has our society has embraced this Sunday afternoon show of mechanical muscle so too, the increase in violent crime is not unique to The Bahamas.
Sitting at this informal international summit I am reminded also that crime and violence are relative, as some of us complained about loud disruptive noise of the bikes, others got up to take photos of this spectacle.’ Comparative Generalism’, is a concept I regularly teach as we too often over exaggerate the bad by making all-encompassing comprehensive statements, which are not real and fuel fear. As it really would appear that only Nassau is experiencing crime and the rest of The Bahamas is not; this is simply quantified by the fact that New Providence, not really Nassau, has the greater proportion of the population.
Never the less when we see cities like New York, Kingston, and London, with declining crime statistics, we have to ask ourselves what we are doing wrong. In London a city with over 7 million people in the last 10 years the murder rate has dropped to half of what it was. London interestingly enough, attributes this to better response by paramedics, and here I thought it was an aggressive crime prevention strategy by the police. Essentially, if medical response is improved, that potential murder victim may rather becomes a victim of assault or attempted murder.
So can it be said that lack of proper medical response to these shootings and stabbings may have in some way attributed to the increase in the murder rate in The Bahamas? Perhaps a play on the numbers, but I would say well played indeed. This really speaks to looking at the whole forest as opposed to just focusing on a few trees, and being caught up in the emotion and sensationalism. Have we considered the response time of ambulances, perhaps paramedics can ride with police officers or government operated clinics can remain open until 12am?
But wait, other jurisdictions have increased the amount of school time for known delinquents, where they were made to do community service and in another the authority’s banned the playing of the violent video games by persons under the age of 15 years. There was talk of curfews for persons under the age of 21, and everyone had to have some form of ID. Drastic measures some say, but I am certain many more of us would say desperate times. As the echo of the motorbike gangs continued to rumble and echo of the tall building of this historic city, I could not help but think of my historic little city and my country.
These innovative ideas speak to determined societies which realize that crime is not political problem, it is a national problem. Being tough on crime must be more than a saying, but a state of being. New comprehensive ideas that go beyond the police are clearly needed. We know this, yet we continue to ‘double’ our efforts, have ‘zero tolerance’ - tactics must be focused at the causation factors not the resultant factors. These conclusions were applicable to anyone of the 6 countries represented at this Sunday's lunch. We must then be in good company. Sadly none of us are happy about the state of affairs developing in our home lands, we all agreed that based on the present conditions the next 20 years will see an even worsening global condition as it relates to crime and violence.
Gamal Newry is the president of Preventative Measures, loss prevention and asset protection training and consulting company, specializing in policy and procedure development, business security reviews and audits, and emergency and crisis management. Comments can be sent to PO Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas, or e-mail gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures. org
At the time of writing this, I am at the 58th American Society for Industrial Security Conference here in the “City of Brotherly Love” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has been a busy first two days with class starting from Sunday and we are still at it. It is always good when liked minded professionals come together to share in fellowship, it almost feels like church.
Forums like these remind you that there are many shared concerns, opportunities and threats. A collaborative approach benefits all stake holders and more importantly reminds us that we are all in this together. In his book’ Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty’ Harvey Mackey stresses the importance of building good relationships before you need to draw on them, essentially the power of the network. I am reminded that this fact holds fast for my profession as well.
That is why events like these are so refreshing and energizing. Every security professional should ensure that they maintain a professional network that is global in its perspective. This is important on many fronts because as much as we would like to think that we are unique; The Bahamas is very much like any other part of the world.
Sitting at lunch this past Sunday it was interesting to listening to my counterparts from around the globe speak regarding their concerns of the increased violence that is plaguing their respective country. No one it seems was immune from this wave of violence. It appears that the young men all over the world were becoming more violent and have disrespect and disregard for life.
So what of the male in our society, what has gone wrong? Many positions were posed be it the lack of a father figure, the increase it was termed ultra-liberalism or prosperity and materialism. How do we correct and change the mindset? A national service, clearly the parents have failed or rather not equipped thus civic, church, and government, must step in to save the country. This was the consensus agreed upon by over 6 representative nations. Sounded very familiar, I heard this before, it appears that we have the answers but are afraid to act on them.
As we spoke on this topic on this cool Sunday afternoon, came the roar of motorcycles by the dozens in downtown Philly, I smiled to myself ‘mudda sick, this Nassau aye’. But just has our society has embraced this Sunday afternoon show of mechanical muscle so too, the increase in violent crime is not unique to The Bahamas.
Sitting at this informal international summit I am reminded also that crime and violence are relative, as some of us complained about loud disruptive noise of the bikes, others got up to take photos of this spectacle.’ Comparative Generalism’, is a concept I regularly teach as we too often over exaggerate the bad by making all-encompassing comprehensive statements, which are not real and fuel fear. As it really would appear that only Nassau is experiencing crime and the rest of The Bahamas is not; this is simply quantified by the fact that New Providence, not really Nassau, has the greater proportion of the population.
Never the less when we see cities like New York, Kingston, and London, with declining crime statistics, we have to ask ourselves what we are doing wrong. In London a city with over 7 million people in the last 10 years the murder rate has dropped to half of what it was. London interestingly enough, attributes this to better response by paramedics, and here I thought it was an aggressive crime prevention strategy by the police. Essentially, if medical response is improved, that potential murder victim may rather becomes a victim of assault or attempted murder.
So can it be said that lack of proper medical response to these shootings and stabbings may have in some way attributed to the increase in the murder rate in The Bahamas? Perhaps a play on the numbers, but I would say well played indeed. This really speaks to looking at the whole forest as opposed to just focusing on a few trees, and being caught up in the emotion and sensationalism. Have we considered the response time of ambulances, perhaps paramedics can ride with police officers or government operated clinics can remain open until 12am?
But wait, other jurisdictions have increased the amount of school time for known delinquents, where they were made to do community service and in another the authority’s banned the playing of the violent video games by persons under the age of 15 years. There was talk of curfews for persons under the age of 21, and everyone had to have some form of ID. Drastic measures some say, but I am certain many more of us would say desperate times. As the echo of the motorbike gangs continued to rumble and echo of the tall building of this historic city, I could not help but think of my historic little city and my country.
These innovative ideas speak to determined societies which realize that crime is not political problem, it is a national problem. Being tough on crime must be more than a saying, but a state of being. New comprehensive ideas that go beyond the police are clearly needed. We know this, yet we continue to ‘double’ our efforts, have ‘zero tolerance’ - tactics must be focused at the causation factors not the resultant factors. These conclusions were applicable to anyone of the 6 countries represented at this Sunday's lunch. We must then be in good company. Sadly none of us are happy about the state of affairs developing in our home lands, we all agreed that based on the present conditions the next 20 years will see an even worsening global condition as it relates to crime and violence.
Gamal Newry is the president of Preventative Measures, loss prevention and asset protection training and consulting company, specializing in policy and procedure development, business security reviews and audits, and emergency and crisis management. Comments can be sent to PO Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas, or e-mail gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures. org
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Need for Regular Review of Loss Prevention Programs
How often do you go to the doctor for a checkup? For most of us it not as often as it should be and perhaps for even more of us it is when something is wrong and we need to fix it. Certainly we would all agree that this is not the best approach, but none the less we do it still the same. As we get older or body either become more prone to catching some type of virus or we build up an immunity and strong resistance. But really does invulnerability exist, or have we simply addressed a particular threat, remaining open to the countless others.
We inevitably become victims to the next attack, as no attack regardless of similarity is the same. Time, availability of resources, and yes the current condition of your health and wellness program will impact how you respond and your recovery efforts. This concept should be considered with regards to your companies’ security efforts, as the saying goes ‘an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure’.
But before we go any further, when thinking of security I prefer to use the term ‘Loss Prevention Program’. In the first instance ‘loss prevention’ speaks to any incident or event that may cause the forfeiture of assets, and if you are a fan of my writing then you know that there are 4 types are; 1) People, 2) Property, 3) Information and 4) Reputation. The word security has been relegated to crime loss, whereas loss prevention speaks to loss resulting from;
A. Human Error - negligence / intentional / accidental etc.
B. Natural Disasters - hurricanes, severe weather conditions, earthquakes and tornados etc.
C. Mechanical Failure – wear and tear
Also program speaks to multifaceted approach to mitigate these inherent risks associated with operations. Be they internal controls, physical and electronic security, there are no ‘magic bullets’ thus the initiatives must work in unison together to accomplish the continuous task of preventing loss.
With that said, what is the condition of your loss prevention program and when was the last time it received a good checkup? If the answer is never or not with in the last 6 months they perhaps you should conduct one. When doing so you must ask the following questions;
1. The nature of our business and what matters most?
2. Where / what country do you do business in?
3. What other business types operate in your immediate area?
4. What threats are we prone to because of industry?
5. Who will own the program and lead the initiatives?
6. How can we strengthen our existing systems, making them robust, resilient, efficient, and effective?
7. How much are we prepared to spend to maintain what we have in place?
8. How much are we prepared to spend to make improvements on the current program?
9. What impact will these improvements have on staff and customer relationships?
10. How often should we review / revisit the program?
These are all important factors to consider and cost certainly is the major determining factor, especially because the return on investment for security infrastructure is not as tangible as other capital costs. Never the less is very important part of doing business, so the investment must be made, but reasonable and practical process need to be taken. Hence the importance of analyzing initially and on a continuing basis the proficiency and success of the loss prevention program.
Gamal Newry is the president of Preventative Measures, loss prevention and asset protection training and consulting company, specializing in policy and procedure development, business security reviews and audits, and emergency and crisis management. Comments can be sent to PO Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas, or e-mail gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures. org
We inevitably become victims to the next attack, as no attack regardless of similarity is the same. Time, availability of resources, and yes the current condition of your health and wellness program will impact how you respond and your recovery efforts. This concept should be considered with regards to your companies’ security efforts, as the saying goes ‘an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure’.
But before we go any further, when thinking of security I prefer to use the term ‘Loss Prevention Program’. In the first instance ‘loss prevention’ speaks to any incident or event that may cause the forfeiture of assets, and if you are a fan of my writing then you know that there are 4 types are; 1) People, 2) Property, 3) Information and 4) Reputation. The word security has been relegated to crime loss, whereas loss prevention speaks to loss resulting from;
A. Human Error - negligence / intentional / accidental etc.
B. Natural Disasters - hurricanes, severe weather conditions, earthquakes and tornados etc.
C. Mechanical Failure – wear and tear
Also program speaks to multifaceted approach to mitigate these inherent risks associated with operations. Be they internal controls, physical and electronic security, there are no ‘magic bullets’ thus the initiatives must work in unison together to accomplish the continuous task of preventing loss.
With that said, what is the condition of your loss prevention program and when was the last time it received a good checkup? If the answer is never or not with in the last 6 months they perhaps you should conduct one. When doing so you must ask the following questions;
1. The nature of our business and what matters most?
2. Where / what country do you do business in?
3. What other business types operate in your immediate area?
4. What threats are we prone to because of industry?
5. Who will own the program and lead the initiatives?
6. How can we strengthen our existing systems, making them robust, resilient, efficient, and effective?
7. How much are we prepared to spend to maintain what we have in place?
8. How much are we prepared to spend to make improvements on the current program?
9. What impact will these improvements have on staff and customer relationships?
10. How often should we review / revisit the program?
These are all important factors to consider and cost certainly is the major determining factor, especially because the return on investment for security infrastructure is not as tangible as other capital costs. Never the less is very important part of doing business, so the investment must be made, but reasonable and practical process need to be taken. Hence the importance of analyzing initially and on a continuing basis the proficiency and success of the loss prevention program.
Gamal Newry is the president of Preventative Measures, loss prevention and asset protection training and consulting company, specializing in policy and procedure development, business security reviews and audits, and emergency and crisis management. Comments can be sent to PO Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas, or e-mail gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures. org
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