The Australian Retail Association estimates retail theft costs the Australian business community more than $4 billion annually. In response many businesses have introduced strategies associated with technology and enhance competence of floor staff.

Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) is explained as crime prevention strategies aimed at reducing criminal opportunities which arise from the routines of everyday life.

Critical infrastructure is nationally described as the infrastructure that delivers the critical services upon which our society depends. Within Victoria, critical infrastructure is both publicly and privately owned and managed.

Places or venues where large numbers of people gather are referred to as “places of mass gathering.” Statistically these places provide an opportunity for terrorists to cause substantial numbers of death and injury from an attack. There are national guidelines for the protection of places of mass gatherings from terrorism.

Bosch Security Systems has introduced a new video-based solution which uses camera-based analytics for early fire detection in challenging environments.

There have been significant advances in biometric technology with recent reports valuing the global security biometrics market at over AUD$16 billion. Smart phones and tablets are just a small part of sector growth however government purchases still lead the way.

The CCTV Guidelines for Public Places was developed through the Office of the Victorian Ombudsman in 2012. It applies to all public sector bodies in Victoria including those secured through the private security sector.

Consultant and author Michael Minieri outlines some basic but critical considerations to think about when establishing an effective security plan against terrorism for any type of facility.

Recent research confirms that effective operational policing includes use of field officer supportive technology. A study through the University of Cambridge disclosed the deployment of body cameras by police led to an 87 percent drop in violence against officers.