Assessing Your Security Guard and Provider

In the Bahamas, like other places in the world the security guard is usually, not the first option for the individual filling that role. The career of security guard is really seen at the top of the list when teenager are asked what they aspire to be. This last resort of sort thus makes the selection pool shallow to say the least. On the other end of the spectrum you find that many officer role are filled with retired or former police officers. These persons are usually for the most part very reactive in their approach to security, resulting from years of training as police officers. They are usually a grim reminder that policing and security are similar professions but very different in their attempt to reduce loss. In fact policing is concerned more with recovery of loss or the discovery of causation factors whereas security focus is on retention and prevention of loss. When entering many businesses today the first and last person we see is the security officer, thus like it or not the security person is the first and last impression of your organization. For many organizations like major retail stores, high traffic locations, banks and other high cash environments this is a must, if only to give the impression of a safe place to do business. Unfortunately the appearance alone if gone unchecked can be very detrimental to the reputation of your business. What are you doing to ensure that this person is a true representative of what your company is trying to portray, what demands have you placed on the guard companies management to ensure that a quality officer is sent to man your property, staff, information and importantly your reputation. What I will provide for you at this point are what I believe to be key performance indicators that will assist you in adequate assessing what you have in the first instance and secondly develop training to get the best bang for your buck. These are as follows; Emergency ResponsePublic RelationsAccess ControlCommunicationsInspections and ReviewsManagement Functions Let us begin with emergency response, as this indicator is where security duties become those of law enforcement and the guard is now trying to prevent further or continued loss to your investment. This can range form fire, medical /safety or criminal response, all of which are emergencies but indicate that security has not done proper inspections and reviews. Very harsh you may think to place the occurrence of emergency events on the security guard, but if you think about it that’s what they were hired for to prevent these events from happening. There occurrence means that security has failed. Inspection and review would be the indicator, as these the guard on the ground is your eyes ears providing real time monitoring of you assets. The guard should regularly be reporting to you the condition of each asset. Thus security must be seen and used as a management tool to ensure the smooth running of operation and timely deterrence of disruptive events. The idea of reporting brings us to the need for proper communication. If the there is lacking in this area then the entire function of loss prevention is at risk. I have on numerous occasions encountered security personnel with poor communication skills amplify already tense and hostile situation. Further, their inability to write effective reports delay and hamper the investigative work of the police. An am sure you can all relate to those occasions when for whatever reason the security guard at a company has had to fill in for the receptionist. The last point speaks to another performance indicator that cannot be left out, which is public relations. The entire premise of this article is to ensure good representation of company by the guard. Thus his / her knowledge of your company is important, who is the CEO, who has been terminated, what company does the cleaning. This concept goes hand in hand with customer service. If you have not had or insisted that your guards be trained in good customer service then you are risking daily embarrassment that could be expensive in the long run. Access control is another key indicator that should be on your list, and this means more than just who gets in and who is let out. Access control speaks also to the movement of persons in and around your property while they are there. Can your security team account for all persons on your property now and should they be where they are. Finally, do you have enough security resources in place to execute the task at a hand? This management function ends with you but is initiated by the guard who via the indicators listed above helps to give you a clear picture of what is going on. These give you a better framework to develop evaluations that go beyond early arrival, by helping you better understand what should be happening. The operation of security guard is not unique to the Bahamas and can be seem all over the world. For those of us who have traveled to large shopping malls, airports and amusement park we see these people doing the same duties that any guard would perform here at home. For those of you who are involved in managing the function for your company and use guard services I hope this helps in educating you and making you a better shopper. Additionally they can be developed to assist in creating job specific performance evaluations.

Self Defense Vs. Vigilantism

When does one lose the right to defend themselves or as a matter of fact the life of another? The answer is 'NEVER', When is your life in danger or the life of another..., their are 2 answers to this one. The first being at the moment you feel that your life is in danger, during this period only you can make that decision, no one else. No law can be formed our voted to determine this life or death experience. It is hoped that you are rational enough and emotionally sound to be able to know the difference. The second answer is determined by a court, not even the police can make this determination only the court who will listen to the facts as you present them and the opinion of the so called experts police, doctors, and witness etc.

Self Defence is the immediate if you do not something you will die situation, where as vigilantism is the lets go find them and get them situation, very different indeed. To place this term with the conditions of self defence, is to say the least ludicrous and uninformed. This is like saying that your child is choking, and saying wait lets call 919 or your house is on fire call 919 and wait. These events require immediate and appropriate response, just like self defense. Do we tell the cutlass swinging, gun to our head attacker wait let me call 919. I think not

Calling 919 is endoursed and fully supported, never the less it is a delayed response that will have an effect several minutes or hours after the event, depending on police, ambulance and fire availability. Lets look at the time line, call is placed to 919, call is then placed to the appropriate responder, they have to get ready, set, and then go. After going they have to travel, the time of which can only be estimated and dependant on traffic and distance. Upon arriving they once have to find out what has happened or happening and then they decide the appropriate response. These factors are understood and accepted however, during this time my house is still on fire, my child is still choking, and oh yea the cutlass is stilling being wield...hopefully they have have not pulled the trigger.

PLEASE LET NO ONE CONFUSE YOU WITH SAVING YOUR LIFE, WITH ACTS OF VENGEANCE AND ANGER!!

Can We Stop Counting Our Crime Failure

Can we stop the numbers game and put into action real, tangible and non policitical soloutions to crime. What irks me is that we have the answers but lack the will; we refuse to act and prefer to put our heads in the sand and hope it all gets better. For example; If motor cyclist are required by law wear helmets, then why for the life of me do they go unchecked? If we know where all the illegal immigrant villages are on New Providence are then why are they still there. Why do we allow underage kids to travel at will anytime of the day anywhere they want to go? If these kids are out at a bar or club why have we not fined the owners of these establishments and fined the parents? These are simple solutions to crime; they reduce opportunity, and reduce targets. There are hundreds of taxi cabs, services vehicles on our streets and neighborhoods every day and yet we cannot locate a stolen vehicle? Why have we not required that state owned phone company, and regulated radio stations to regularly update the listening public on stolen cars, armed robberies?

As usual the solutions in life are very present sitting in front of us ready to be embraced. This poses the question why can Atlantis place restrictions on how guest visit their property in the name of law and order, but we cannot do the same in our country. Several years ago this same suggestions was made by me to a local and popular shopping area, in an effort to reduce the number of young persons hanging in and around its slew of shops. My recommendation was tossed because at the time they believed the notion of controlling underage visitors was to harsh and would negatively affect sales. I said to them as say now what are sales if shoppers do not feel safe to shop, they will not come.

Youth Empowerment : Crime Stops and Begins with Them

Sunday past saw my daughter and I at the launch of this years Junior Achievement Program. I was pleasantly surprised to see the ballroom at the British Colonial Hilton filled to capacity with parents and students alike. On a Sunday afternoon, to see that many young people out and most importantly supported by their parents is critical to development of a successful Bahamas. Investing in our future is good business practice, it ensure continuity of culture and nationhood. It in my opinion instills ethics, discipline and quality assurance necessary to succeed in today’s global environment. Kudos the numerous corporate sponsors represented, who have invested in young people. The BTC, BEC, Deloitte and Touche, and the Police Staff Association, just to name a few.

This standing room only turnout was a pleasant reminder that all is not lost, despite the bombardment of negative news, we must be reminded that these horrific stories that have filled our headlines over the last few years are in the first instance being committed by a handful of perpetrators. Good news however does not sell, thus their was a poor turnout of the media during this event. Secondly, many of the crimes today are being done by repeat offenders. Thus I can still comfortably say that it is not as bad as it may seem, never the less there is room for improvement.

You might be saying at this point, what does this have to do with crime and loss prevention? Where does youth development and nurturing fit in to crime fighting? Simply put - 'Everything'. Investing in these young minds, via programs such as Junior Achievement, Boy's and Girls Brigade / Scouts, your church Sunday school program begins the lifelong molding process necessary to develop good character ethics and morals. This does not mean that none of these persons will become criminals tomorrow, however what we are saying is, as mentioned, a small majority will fall to the way side. Also there is no excuse for criminal and deviant behavior. I will venture to say that there is no young person in this Bahamas, past or present, who has not been exposed to, or given an opportunity to, benefit from some positive program. Our claim to a Christian heritage has ensured that the great majority have been exposed to church is some form or the other.

Yet you will see by the statistics that crime, especially violent crimes are being committed by our young people. So what has gone wrong? I say nothing! I say we are experiencing the fact of the matter that we cannot save them all. We live in a world where some of us will come up short and not meet the mark.

Unfortunately we are focusing on the failure and not the successes.

I put is to you - Train up a child while they are young, and when they are old they shall not depart from it. This of course means directing their paths at an early stage to avoid putting ourselves in a position of trying to correct the decay years in the making.

But really we are allowing the fear of crime to take us down a path of potential desperation and panic, thus reducing our ability as a society to think of rational solutions. For example, I am a proponent of the death penalty. Not because of its deterrent qualities, but because it is 'punishment' simple and straight forward. It is not 'problem solving', 'reduction' or 'deterrent'. If these residual events take place then that is an added benefit. Solutions to our crime problem are multifaceted; I do not think there is a magic bullet. Thus the argument that the death penalty is not going to reduce crime is very true, as the sentence is only given after the crime of murder has already been committed. The 'penalty' can only be given after the 'foul'.

To stop the crime we must take serious efforts in assisting our youth especially young men and women, to better manage their anger and aggression. The cry for more hanging is in my opinion bordering on a lynch mentality, as it is a sign of desperation and frustration, an emotional grasping at straws. We are attempting to use punishment as a reward to deviant behavior, as opposed to stopping, preventing, and reducing opportunities for the behavior.

What then you may ask. Well I will not contradict myself, so let us continue to pray not for peace but ways to create peace. You see folk’s peace and safety does not and will not fall from the sky. We must create this culture, a society of peace. This begins with teaching our young people structure and order, and demonstrating the benefits of the same. They need to understand that rules and regulations lend to a civil society and directly affects the level of peace a nation experiences.

Now what about the young adults, those who are no longer kids, are we to toss them aside? Well as the saying goes ‘bend the tree while it is young’. If we have missed this opportunity, then a more aggressive bending process needs to take place. Boat builders who wish to fashion wood for boats usually expose the wood to heat / steam and pressure. Similarly, our young adults who have fallen to the way side must be pressured and an exposed to heat that will attempt to purge the negative tendency. Boot Camps, that are geared to reintroducing social and problem solving skills that demand team work and group efforts. We need not wait for them to break the law, for I believe that by the time they are actually caught breaking the law they have gotten away at least ten times before. Alas folks, as mentioned earlier, some will fall to the wayside as the ‘Parable of the Sower' so clearly illustrates.

Never-the-less, remember and support with your time and money the Junior Achievers, Brigadiers and Scouts the numerous positive youth groups that have proven successful. All is not lost!

Gamal Newry is the President of Preventative Measures, a Loss Prevention and Asset Protection Training and Consulting Company, specializing in Policy and Procedure Development, Business Security Reviews and Audits, & Emergency and Crisis Management. Comments can be sent to P.O. Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas or, email gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures.net

Loss and Crime is Relative

During a training session this morning I had to deal with a recruit who we will call Jeff. Now Jeff was stronger and more aggressive than his partner who we will call Peter. As the various drills were given out I observed how Jeff would throw and toss Peter around the floor as if he was a rag doll. On the other hand the when the rolls were switched unexpectedly the rough and aggressive response was not given. Jeff’s action became more aggressive to the point where I had to step in and admonish him, about his action, which in my opinion equated to abuse. However in Jeff’s opinion he was not doing anything wrong, as he felt that he was in control and stressed the fact that Peter was doing the same thing. Jeff’s perspective is what he operated on, thus he made a decision to act accordingly. If this action was not checked the end result could have been injury. We are observing various behaviors in our society that for whatever reason are going unchecked, they are being allowed to fester and grow. Compounding this is that what we believe is unusual, dangerous and unsafe based on our norms and culture is not necessarily the case. We are seeing before us the evolution of a very different Bahamas. The sleepy island has awakened and its perception of the various risks against its survival is being met head on with the same violent and aggressive force. Unfortunately, those of us who hold fast to now ancient and historic beliefs are not taking the necessary steps to reduce the potential for large scale loss that may result from our inaction or disregard. We prefer to sing and hold pray services as our attempt to pacify the eruption around us. Not good enough, so sorry! Agreeably pray can move mountains, but who is going to move if everybody is down on their knees praying. Now we all will have our own way of managing the events be they loss or criminal in nature. Who is to say which is the right way or as some would say reasonable. One thing for certain is that choosing not do something or ignore the event is action within itself. The time is past in my opinion for peace rallies and pray that are not backed or supported by specific actions to change behavior. The change in behavior is not limited to the would be criminal, but more importantly in my opinion this change is for us who are at risk. How do we reduce the risk of loss and crime? Risk too is relative to culture, location, time of day, and individuals or organization being exposed to the threat. Thus what we perceive as crime risk is not recognized in the same way by the police.. When I speak of the police in this instance I speak regarding the organization not anyone individual. There view in many instances becomes perplexing as it appears that they take a very nonchalant approach to conditions that we believe to be extreme. Just as Jeff’s actions to the untrained eye may be seen as ‘horsing around’ the trained eye see’s him taking advantage of a perceived weaker partner and abusing that relationship. But again this too is relative as Jeff also stated he was reacting to a threat, and rather seek assistance of the authority figure, me in this instance he decided to resolve this issue his way. Is Jeff wrong for this or is he just acting the part that he has so efficiently been taught over the last 18 or so years. Can we blame him or any other individual completely for actions that essentially have brought theme this far in life. No we cannot, but we as a society must take some part of the blame, and no incarceration and hangings cannot be our escape. It is a falsely to think that we can live in a society free of crime and loss, both event types have been with us from time began. Loss is associated with the removal of cherished possessions or people and crime relating to the means by which the event occurred. Baring in mind that all crime is loss but not all loss is crime. For example loss resulting form a hurricane, floods and other naturally occurring events are not crime. However loss from stealing, rape and murder is crime. Many work related incidents such as extended lunch hours and tardiness are also loss events. We must also consider that crimes such as driving without proper vehicle inspection or licensing are also crimes but because they are seen major threats to safety they are regularly disregarded. But as the story described earlier if go unchecked they create a breathing ground for more serious offences. What can be done about either, do we give up hope or do we press on with the ensuing battle. Unfortunately we cannot completely remove ourselves from any of these occurrences, they will happen in one form or the other. With that said we must now develop preventative and preparatory measures that we might adequately deal with them as they occur. This is and has been the premise for my writings, to recommend solutions to the challenges of crime and loss that may present themselves. As the crime level is on the minds and some instances have affected the hearts of many it is only appropriate address these issues and provide realistic solutions to this dilemma. As it pertains to loss events this is a bit more complex, thus preventative solutions that are keener to management styles will be suggested. A no rules society that is free from defined crime; some have dared to say is the way to go. This survival of the fittest mentality would take us back to ‘uncivilized’ and chaotic times, very similar to the times we are living now here in the Bahamas. Gamal Newry is the President of Preventative Measures, a Loss Prevention and Asset Protection Training and Consulting Company, specializing in Policy and Procedure Development, Business Security Reviews and Audits, & Emergency and Crisis Management. Comments can be sent to P.O. Box N-3154 Nassau, Bahamas or, email gnewry@gmail.com or visit us at www.preventativemeasures.net

History Remains Unchanged

A repeat of history, not so. The political pandering never ceases to amaze me, when you think you have seen it all someone else shows their colors. In fact in days gone past there appeared to be more respect for the police and the authority og the Speaker of the House.

If the opposition is so much in up roar by the actions of the Police, National Security and the Speaker of the House, why are they not prepared to go jail for their convictions. I am not impressed by the actions of the opposition when they go half way in demonstrating their so called convictions and solidarity. Go to jail spend a night in Central, like your fore bearers. They are All form both sides only prepared to talk the talk, for the most part none are ready to walk the walk.

This leads to my next disappointment, which is the press. The desire to sensationalize the actions of the MP Hanna, they compared her to her fathers action in 1965. Yet this is not the case, as the older Hanna was allowed to be removed from Parliament by the Police under the directions from the Speaker who is the final authority in this instance. See the photo in todays Tribune. Regardless of his convictions he had respect for the law. No show boating here. This is comparable to the actions of Dr. martin Luther King, Ghandi, and Nelson Mandela. These are true leaders and examples to be followed.

This refusal to submit to the orders of the Speaker in the first instance by MP Hanna, in the second by her colleagues and finally by the Police, is a clear indication in my opinion of the climate of disregard for the law that exist in this country. Do we now expect the average citizen to comply with the law, if the thise who create the laws and rules refuse to subject themselves to it. It sends a message that accountability and responsibility is but a figment of our imagination and anything goes.

Please understand and be clear that I am not saying MP Hanna should not stand up for what she believes, this is her duty as a representative for the people. However this duty also extends to her requirement to submit herself to the authority that gives her that right. Not to move because you feel you are right now empowers all persons who feel they are right to disregard the police and the law because in their opinion they are right.

Further this refusal to comply with the law, is compounded when her fellow members support her, is this disrespect for the position of the Speaker. Then the cherry on top is the police who appear to be powerless to enforce the law.

The message is clear to me do what you like and do not worry about the consequences, you will not be punished.

Will the Real Police Car Please Drive By

Not so much drive by but properly identify yourself for the task. There are frankly to many marked police vehicles out there. Some may find this strange coming from me, as you know I am very much an advocate for police visibility, as this is good deterrent for criminal activity.

Never the less as you all would have observed the variety of cars that have police markings, what is the problem you ask? Well these marked cars come with the expectation of services. Never the less how much real services are we expecting from the police accounts department and messenger service. Some of these cars especially those driven by civilian staff should not carry police markings or insignia.

What amplifies this matter is that many private vehicles are now also fitted with strobe lights that if one is not careful may also be mistakenly taken for police cars.