Nowadays when we hear about investments, new businesses, or already established businesses, one of the first terms we hear is security and it begins with the issue of legal security, investment security, citizen security, the business climate, etc.
by Luis González Nogales*
Once the investment is decided and normally when the business is underway or about to start is that we return to the issue of Security and this time, unfortunately, the top executive management of the business opts for the solution of: Call a physical surveillance company, asks you to install the security guard service and says, with a pat on the shoulder, "in you we trust, you are our safety." And from that moment, security, the business and its operations begin.
We pointed out above unfortunately, given that in a while later the business begins to have losses or shortages of inventories in its warehouses, losses or shortages of inventories in its warehouses, losses of portable office equipment, lack of cash or even fraud and loss of sensitive information or patents.
At that time, they claim the physical security company telling them that they hired them and entrusted their safety to them and therefore have to compensate them for those losses.
Let's stop and comment on one of the most common errors of appreciation regarding one of the best known Private Security Services such as the Physical Surveillance Services.
The hiring of security guards is not the contracting of an insurance policy, insurance policies are to cover the contingencies indicated above, as well as a range of other issues such as lost profits, etc.
Companies providing services with private security guards are required by law and disposition of the police to have a Civil Liability Insurance which guarantees a third party, that before the action of a guard in fulfillment of their functions (example, repel an assault), and this third party is affected has an opportunity for compensation.
Parallel to the above, some companies providing these services have loyalty or liability insurance for losses or damages made by their employees to the client they provide service; all this in accordance with the particular provisions of each insurer.
Our consideration in this regard is that Private Security is not an insurance policy for everything.
The other aspect is the organization of security services into a new or running business. The first thing is that there must be a willingness of senior management to initiate a:
Security Program
It is the general decision to invest in the implementation of the recommendations resulting from the security study carried out by the Company or the Institution.
All this clearly defined in achievable and measurable objectives, which will be met through activities established in space, time and responsible.
Safety studies
It is the result of the examination of those factors that affect or favor the safety of an installation expressed in a document that should serve as the guide for the development of the safety program and the subsequent plans thereof.
It includes the recognition of the risks and vulnerabilities of the company, institution and objects of the study.
In short, it is to recommend the necessary security measures for the protection of assets and personnel.
Once these are done, they will have the inputs to prepare different plans that a modern company needs today to protect its physical assets, human and intellectual capital, both tangible and intangible, these plans are:
1. Comprehensive Security Plan with Sub-systems
* Identification and Access Control.
* Intrusion Alarm.
* Closed Circuit Television.
* Fire Detection.
* Fire Fighting.
* Asset Control.
* Physical Surveillance.
* Communication, Lighting Notice.
2. Plans before emergency situations
(Includes matters related to Occupational Health and Safety)
3. Crisis Management Plan
4. Business continuity plan.
How we can observe the needs of a company goes far beyond what is normally considered as having private security by hiring only one element (physical surveillance) of the many to consider to have true protection of your assets.
Finally, the success of those responsible for the implementation of these aspects in the company is to make them correspond symbiotically with the business plans and objectives of the company is to improve the performance of the same with the preservation of lives and means.
Presentations on what is a security program and a security study can be seen in detail at http://worldtv.com/incaspri/.
*Luis González Nogales is the president of the Central American Institute of Private Security, Incaspri. If you want to contact him you can write to the email [email protected]
