Principles for Effective Protective Security Practice

An effective protective security environment should provide the basis for a safe and secure workplace. It should be aimed at minimising potential risk exposures to physical, personnel and information-related assets. Each workplace needs to have a site-specific strategy as a “one size fits all” approach is inappropriate and actually can increase risk.

Essential components of any strategy must include:

• A security plan that is supported at the highest levels of management
• The plan must be developed against the organisations strategic and operational context
• The plan must be monitored and reviewed at pre-determined times
• Physical resources must be fit for purpose and align where possible with external standards and/or common industry practice
• Personnel must be provided with a safe and secure working environment which includes robust systems for access control, authorised areas, access to proprietary information and the like
• Suitable protocols that are carefully thought through such as operating and procedures must be developed and staff trained to closely align
• Suitable accountability mechanisms are developed, maintained and regularly reviewed through audit
• External activity to the workplace must also be suitably assessed and controlled as part of the overall strategy.

This basic approach is the first step to minimising risk.  Additional information is available from ASIS International – we welcome membership of all security leaders.

Further information is available through the Inquiries area of our website.