GENERAL SECURITY AWARENESS

BY
NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF SAFETY
PROFESSIONALS

INTRODUCTION

Security is a word generally linked with the

absence or presence of danger to life and
property. It is of concern to all and sundry,
consciously or unconsciously.
The Advanced Learners Dictionary defines
security as the measures taken to prevent
spying, attacks, and theft of target.

These activities mentioned in the definition

generally result in loss of valuable assets of
a nation, corporate organizations, and
individuals. The definition of security can
therefore be extended to include measures
taken to protect assets against loss through
spying, attacks or theft. Security is also
referred to as assets protection.

WHAT ARE ASSETS?

The assets of an individual comprise his

family, money, personal property and
documents. For an industry or corporate
organization, assets comprise its personnel,
cash, property, equipment and machinery,
goods and products, and its business
documents.

NEED FOR SECURITY.

Assets enable life and living. For the

individual, his assets enhance the quality of
life he lives and his ability to provide
essential services for himself, his family and
other persons. Similarly, an industrys
assets enable it to achieve the objectives
for which it was established.

An industry needs personnel to perform all

the activities of the organization; it needs
money for the procurement and
establishment of the facilities, machinery
and equipment it needs for its operations,
as well as pay the salaries of its employees.
An industry needs its machinery and
equipment for production; and it needs the
products for sales for profits.

The truth is, employees need the industries

to survive, just as the industries need the
employees for success. Government, as
well, need the taxes paid by industries on
their profits, and that paid by the
employees on their earnings. Security
ensures that none of these needs are
hindered or eroded. There is therefore
every reason for ensuring the security both
of individuals and of organizations.

The need for security is emphasized by the

reports, daily, in both the electronic and
print media, of losses through robbery with
violence, thefts, fraud, embezzlement, and
espionage; also of crimes such as
vandalism, rape, kidnap, assassination,
arson, sabotage, and murder. These are all
threats to life and property as are all threats
to life and property as are featured in the
foregoing section.

SECURITY SURVEY AND RISK

ASSESSMENT.

The administrative and physical measures

for ensuring total security or the
containment of these attacks are basic and
peculiar. They need to be applied
painstakingly by security-conscious
managements and employees of
organizations, as well as individuals.
Security is indeed everybodys business; and
everybodys needs to be security conscious
to apply appropriate security measures.

They were incidents that happened to

individuals and organizations, and with
disastrous consequences. They could
happen again, to the same victims or other
persons or organizations, if measures are
not taken to hinder the perpetrators of
these heinous crimes against humanity.

Threat, Target, and countermeasures.

The first step to be taken in determining

necessary security measures is analysis of
the security threats to the organization and
the targets of the threats, an assessment of
the severity of the effect; these will advise
what forms and standard of
countermeasures are required. This is also,
because each person or organization would
have peculiar threats and targets, therefore
peculiar countermeasures.

Common Security Threats.

Threats to which an organization or

individual is exposed, and the targets are
determined by status, wealth, location,
product, goods and cash; personnel and
community relations, political affiliations
and bias, trade or business competition and
relationships, individual personal
relationships, personal behaviour, and
accessibility.

Threats to security are summarized as follows:

1. Crime: arson, burglary, robbery, embezzlement,
false statements, forgery, fraud, bad cheques,
assault, disorderly conduct, drug offences,
kidnapping, larceny, murder, sex offense,
trespassing, eavesdropping, anarchy, bombing,
high-jacking.
2. Conflict of interest: bribery, disaffection, espionage,
kickbacks, sabotage, unfair competition.
3. Terrorism: extortion, kidnapping, assassination with
political overtones.
4. Civil disturbance: insurrection, riot
5. Other risks: disturbed persons, personnel piracy.

The security survey is a detailed and indepth examination of all prevailing security
offences, measured against current and
projected risk designed to provide the
management or individual with sufficient
information and recommendations that will
enable them formulate feasibility security
plans.

1.
2.
3.
4.

It is a critical on-site examination and

analysis of an industrial plant, business,
homes, private and public institution to:
Ascertain the present security status.
Identify deficiencies.
Determine the protection needed.
Make recommendation to improve the
overall security.

SECURITY PLAN.

Having decided what the threats and

targets are, and the need for protection, it
becomes necessary to plan what
countermeasures need to be put in place.
No single security measure provides
absolute protection, so a number of
complementary measures are adopted.


1.

2.

3.

An effective security plan will include:

Management leadership and commitment,
which will evolve a policy statement, assigned
responsibilities, adequate budgetary provision.
Administrative and enforcement unit of
trained, experienced and disciplined
management and work force.
Effective countermeasures system for:
Facility protection.
Information protection.
Executive protection.

Facility protection:

i. Employee screening, relations,

education, and monitoring.
Manpower is essential to every organization.
A security program would appropriately be
concerned with who is employed to handle
the affairs of the organization. It is important
to eliminate bad eggs at the recruitment
stage. Enquire into the background of
prospective employees.

It is also important to sustain the loyalty of

staff through good employee relations. A
disgruntled staff with serious financial
problems could easily be persuaded to
engage in activities inimical to the interests
of his employees.

An employee may also ignorantly expose

his employers to security risks. It is
therefore important to make employees
aware of the security risks that the
organization is exposed to, and their role in
ensuring the protection of the assets of the
organization.

Since human beings are prone to external

influence that may change their behaviour
for the bad, it would be useful to continue to
closely monitor the behaviour of staff for
any changes that may be indicative of
corrupt practices.

ii. Physical Barriers.

Physical barriers are installed with the following
objectives:
To delineate the boundary.
To control entry into, or exit from, an installation through
designated control points.
To deter would-be intruders.
To delay the entry of intruders, detect their presence, and alert
security personnel to the situation.
To prevent unauthorized removal of property and/or materials from
the installation.
To protect installation personnel from surprise attack.
To demonstrate that all reasonable practical precautions have been
taken to keep out innocent passerby, including children, for their
own protection.

To achieve these objectives, the following

facilities are employed:
Doors, usually constructed to withstand the
security threat to which the area of the
installation is exposed.
Roofs and ceilings, construct to the able to
withstand or defeat attempts at forced entry.
Floors, so constructed that their penetration
resistance is increased tremendously

 Fences, which must be constructed to

specifications and of a type that can resist
breaching, such that penetration time is extended
to such an extent as to discourage an intruder.
Walls, which must be thick and at least 2.4 m
high, are the most penetration resistant structure.
They are often topped with spikes and barbed
wire, and sometimes treated with anti-climb paint.

iii. Locking Devices and Systems.

Locks are a very essential complement of a
security system. They have to be strong enough
to prevent unauthorized access through access
and exit points.
Locks vary from padlocks to indoor locks,
electromechanical locking systems, to mechanical
locking systems. An essential aspect of locking
devices and systems is key control. It must be
possible to establish who made an entry into a
facility and when, through a system of controls for
the handling of keys.

iv.Intruder Detection and Alarm

Systems.
Despite installed physical barriers, would-be
intruders still attempt to breach security and
will penetrate if undisturbed. For this reason
intruder detection and alarm devices of
various designs and makes are used. They
pick up the presence of an intruder and
activate audible local or remote alarms and, if
desired, visual display of the intruder (closed
circuit television).

Normal man is afraid of darkness, but

the criminal is afraid of light. Ample
illumination of a facility and its
approaches makes detection easy, and
discourages would-be intruders. Lighting
should optimize conditions for intruder
psychological deterrence, visual
detection and identification and visual
incapacitation of the intruder.

VI. Communication.

The importance of communication in a

security system cannot be over emphasized.
Communication systems vary from telephones
to intercoms to radio. They enable
information about attacks to be relayed to
response sources for quick response and
apprehension. They ensure that remain alert,
and systems exist which will alert a
monitoring station if a guard is in difficulty.

VII. Closed Circuit Television.

Closed circuit television enables the monitoring of all

critical or vulnerable areas electronically from a central
location, fast and effectively. This ability to instantly
assess and evaluate the cause of alarms, or to identify
individuals or actions within the monitored area, has
allowed the size of the on-site guard force to be
reduced to a smaller, more efficient, better trained and
more easily managed force. In addition, close-circuit
television system (CCTV) enables incidents to be
recorded on videotape, and hard copies produced for
evidence.

VIII. Access Control.

People have to operate a facility, and the

problem, form the security point of view, is
allowing the right people to become
involved. Access control therefore involves
procedures, equipment, and materials for
discriminating between authorized and
unauthorized persons. Systems employed
include identity cards, keys, key cards,
visitors Passes, Entry and Exit Searches.

IX. Security Guard Service.

The security guard service is an

essential element in the security system.
It complements all the other security
systems that will not be effective without
the guard service personnel. The guard
service personnel handle surveillance
(patrol), access control, search, escort,
alarm station monitoring, response, and
key control.

Guards should be young, educated,

physically, fit, and trained, and should be
well paid. It should be realized that much of
a security personnels functions revolve
around his commonsense, judgment,
initiative, intuition, intelligence and
perseverance, which qualities are an
accomplishment of sorts to be found in
individual.

INFORMATION PROTECTION.

Industrial organizations need to jealously

guard their trade secretes such as product
formula, research and development results,
and marketing strategies. Effective
protection of vital information requires a
sound management policy regarding all
sensitive data, which the employees should
be aware of. Physical security measures
should be designed and installed.

These will ensure that the information could

only be obtained by unauthorized
individuals through industrial espionage.
The policy statement must be simple, and
must address the basic problems of
identification, transmission, storage, and
destruction of sensitive information.

Employees should be made to sign a

statement saying they understand their
obligations for secrecy. Adequate storage
space and a way to destroy unwanted
material must be provided. The system
should be monitored to ensure its
implementation as laid down.

EXECUTIVE PROTECTION.

Business executives and employees in

sensitive positions are exposed to security
threats; there security should therefore be
given serious consideration. Security
measures should include protection at
home. While on the road, traveling, and in
the office.

Such measures include advice on what the

individual should do or not do in certain
situations physical security measures;
access control measures; trained
bodyguards, and protected vehicles. An
executive being involved in a security
incident could have a serious adverse effect
on a company and its operations.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SECURITY DEPARTMENT.

1.

2.

The major duty of the security department is to

protect life and property; that is the protection of
companys personnel, assets and information from
damage, theft or loss. This involves:
Provision of prompt and effective response to any
criminal or security incident or other fire/security
related emergency that may be detrimental to
companys interest.
Identification of immediate and possible threats
to the company and assets and report such
intelligence report to the divisional management.

3. Conducting investigation or criminal and

security incident and submitting such
report/recommendations to management.
4. Issuing and controlling the use of company
ID cards to authorized persons for effective
access into the companys locations as the
main office areas, industrial areas and
residential areas etc.
5. Provision of security advises to both staff
and management

6. Liaison with government law enforcement

agencies
7. Carrying out executive protection and escort
duties.
8.
Understand foot, mobile patrol duties
9. Checking/Controlling human and vehicle
traffics.
10 Screening for suspicious objects at the
airport and
helipad before boarding the
aircraft or helicopter.

PERSONAL SECURITY CONCERNS.

1.

2.

3.

IN THE OFFICE:
All doors leading to the offices must be
properly locked and keys handed down in
the designated place when closing or
leaving the office.
All appliances must be properly switched
off before leaving the office.
In a computer network, access to strategic
information should only be granted to
authorized users e.g. production data.

4. Sensitive information should not be

published on companys website to avoid
information tapping.
5. Computer usage in a network system must
be pass-worded to restrict log in.
6. Unwanted documents should be properly
destroyed, if possible, by shredding.
7. Restrict companys discussions to limited
areas.

8. Faulty doors and windows should be reported

promptly and followed up immediately.
9. Avoid leaving your visitor alone in the office
especially when there is cash or valuables in
your drawer.
10. Do not leave workmen, cleaners, hawkers
etc in the office.
11. Avoid keeping shared keys under foot mat or
other known places.
12. Avoid monetary transactions, especially cash
payment in the office.

AT HOME.
1.

2.

3.

Do not live alone (case of the murdered pilot

in Lagos).
If you must need house help, ensure that you
demand for his/her photograph, written
application with both his signature and
fingerprints and must provide guarantor(s)
and he must not harbor strangers in the
house.
Ensure security lights can be switched on and
off from within the house.

4.Remove all or any object that can assist

an intruder to gain entrance into your
house. Very often, ladders are left on
fence walls. This could be used to
ensure the safe landing of intruders.
5. Demand for id cards from anybody
claiming to be from water works,
national electric power authority and
Nigerian Tele-communication etc. Very
often robbers pose as these officials to
carry out a crime.

1.

2.

3.

OUTSIDE HOME (PUBLIC).

Do not count money openly. It could be
the reason why you were trialed home.
Do not patronize strange women/men.
They could be agents of robbers or ritual
killers.
When traveling, ensure that valuables are
close by you, within reach.

4. It is very important that you seriously observe

the look and movement of the occupant of a
bus/taxi before entering.
5. Dump the habit of eating from people you do
not know.
6. Avoid going alone, especially in the night, if
possible.
7. Try to vary the timing and route home. Do
not create a regular pattern of behaviour that
enables an attacker to know your movements
and plan an attack.

8. Keep to your faith, supernatural problems

require supernatural solution-prayers.
9. As much as it lies within your power, live at
peace with all men, they may be your
unpaid guards in your absence.
10. Never underrate anyone, everyone has
his day even the fool for a day of
destruction.