Kia Ora,
Well thought I would be on a quiet task (& for most parts it was) & home before the real idiot brigade came out at midnight (which I was for once).
But it still didn't stop the encounter with the good old fashioned kiwi mindset when it comes to security or New Zealanders dealing with security.
First off are the signs. No matter how big a sign might be, it could be ten foot tall & flashing Neon, Kiwis don't see them or if they do they only apply to everyone else but them.
Then the person placed to enforce those signs. To a kiwi they are only there to make their life difficult, even though the reason more often than not is Health & Safety or real security concerns.
Last of all is the Kiwi belief that they only need one security person when six is what is really needed or required if they are adhering to Health & Safety requirements or international standards.
The following are incidents several years ago that shows this mindset in full glory.
Whilst patrolling fenced area due to Fireworks (explosives) in a 40 foot container encounter a family trying to shortcut across. Two adults & two toddlers possibly three at most. As far as they were concerned as a security officer I was only impeding their progress through a short cut so that lacked commonsense. What was pointed out to them was they weren't showing commonsense as they didn't care about the lives of their children in case the container did happen to blow. So questions had to be raised about their parenting skills.
Twenty minutes later two young couples climb over fence & were stopped. Again we go through the commonsnse this is a short cut jibe. To which it was pointed out that if they were using commonsense they wouldn't climb a fence with signs saying "Explosives keep out". Reply was "where are these signs?" "You climbed over top of one!" Then came the threat to do bodily harm. Unfortunately for them at the end of the fenced area at that time a security briefing was in progress with security supervisors & police for event.
If New Zealand wants to be regarded as a world class place for people to visit then it has to act as world class. That means expecting restrictions due to security or Health & Safety.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
careful
Kia Ora,
Well New Years night & the idiot brigade are out there already, carrying out stupid crimes not to mention the drunken antics security & police have to put up with tonight.
To make it worse tonight is not just a full moon, but a blue moon. Statistically the night of the full moon is no different than any other night, but when you work in an environment that brings you in contact with people with issues, it definitely has an affect. Often in the week prior or after you see an upswing of crazy things.
Already in the last few days there has being a noticeable upswing in crime & that is just the reported crime. Most is not reported. With the economic conditions it will have people out looking for more as they have less. Despite the media comments the economy is expected to get a lot worse even if it looks like it is getting better. This will only cause crime to increase.
Anything that happens overseas takes time to filter through to NZ. It is all interconnected.
Keep yourself & whanau safe tonight.
Well New Years night & the idiot brigade are out there already, carrying out stupid crimes not to mention the drunken antics security & police have to put up with tonight.
To make it worse tonight is not just a full moon, but a blue moon. Statistically the night of the full moon is no different than any other night, but when you work in an environment that brings you in contact with people with issues, it definitely has an affect. Often in the week prior or after you see an upswing of crazy things.
Already in the last few days there has being a noticeable upswing in crime & that is just the reported crime. Most is not reported. With the economic conditions it will have people out looking for more as they have less. Despite the media comments the economy is expected to get a lot worse even if it looks like it is getting better. This will only cause crime to increase.
Anything that happens overseas takes time to filter through to NZ. It is all interconnected.
Keep yourself & whanau safe tonight.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Common sense
Kia Ora,
Well it seems common sense or more likely commercial sense returned to US air traffic today. Relaxation of some rules leaving them in discretion of aircraft captain. Hopefully they will exercise them sensibly.
They would be beter off deploying more 'low key' air marshals to look for the suspicious. Problem is Air Marshals are so easy to spot or have being. Personally I loved the story by a former air marshal where they were all dressed the same were seated in the same seats each flight & then let board early in front of the rest of passengers & finally had a conference where they arrived to huge neon signs saying welcome US airmarshals.
Good security does not mean doing it by the book. Anyone who has watched the first diehard movie will remember where the 'terrorists' were going to get the vault open because the FBI would do it 'by the book'. We seen the same in Iraq. At times US state department contractors were getting hit because they were carrying the drills out as per state department handbook.
In fact on one occassion we drove through an ambush unbeknowst to us, but a state department team were hit 600 metres behind us. Why obviously the spotter had seen two security teams but one was obviously US state department because drills were by the book.
That is high end security but the same practices work at all levels including a personal level.
For security it is important to remember that SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) are only ever a guide line. Laws, Rules & Regulations need to be adhered too, but SOP's are based on experience & do not fit every situation.
Well it seems common sense or more likely commercial sense returned to US air traffic today. Relaxation of some rules leaving them in discretion of aircraft captain. Hopefully they will exercise them sensibly.
They would be beter off deploying more 'low key' air marshals to look for the suspicious. Problem is Air Marshals are so easy to spot or have being. Personally I loved the story by a former air marshal where they were all dressed the same were seated in the same seats each flight & then let board early in front of the rest of passengers & finally had a conference where they arrived to huge neon signs saying welcome US airmarshals.
Good security does not mean doing it by the book. Anyone who has watched the first diehard movie will remember where the 'terrorists' were going to get the vault open because the FBI would do it 'by the book'. We seen the same in Iraq. At times US state department contractors were getting hit because they were carrying the drills out as per state department handbook.
In fact on one occassion we drove through an ambush unbeknowst to us, but a state department team were hit 600 metres behind us. Why obviously the spotter had seen two security teams but one was obviously US state department because drills were by the book.
That is high end security but the same practices work at all levels including a personal level.
For security it is important to remember that SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) are only ever a guide line. Laws, Rules & Regulations need to be adhered too, but SOP's are based on experience & do not fit every situation.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Air Security & NZ
All the news at present more terrorists in the air. Yet despite an attempted hijacking here only within the last few years, Kiwis will in general say all the extra security being placed is over the top.
In some cases from a security point of view some of the measures being implimented have no security value. All any prospective terrorist will do is take note of new measures & adjust accordingly. Despite all the measures taken there has always being enough items to be used as weapons on commercial aircraft or even as an improvised bomb.
Often there is too much reliance on technology. Anything man can make or think of man can defeat. They are only aids to a person with a mark 1 eyeball & that intuition that comes from experience.
At times the amount of security, in particular to a NZ eye, seems overkill such as at sports games. International experience shows though that the amount of people used in NZ is grossly lacking. That experience shows that when something goes wrong, say a fire in a stadium, everyone looks to the security & law enforcement personel to provide direction. That is where the international formula for the amount of security required at events comes from.
It is a health & safety issue first. Yet NZ doesn't even come close to this formula, but claims to have international standard events. Unless it complies with those requirements it could easily loose international events. It will also have to bring its training in line with international standards. At present only two companies offering training in NZ are of international standard. One starting out here in Christchurch(NZQA combined with Australian standards) & one in Auckland offering high end security to SIA standards (British standards).
As one British consultant remarked when making a documentary about NZ security & the training he observed one of our major companies carrying out, "lower than west africa". That is where they hand kids weapons & tell them they are soldiers or security.
In some cases from a security point of view some of the measures being implimented have no security value. All any prospective terrorist will do is take note of new measures & adjust accordingly. Despite all the measures taken there has always being enough items to be used as weapons on commercial aircraft or even as an improvised bomb.
Often there is too much reliance on technology. Anything man can make or think of man can defeat. They are only aids to a person with a mark 1 eyeball & that intuition that comes from experience.
At times the amount of security, in particular to a NZ eye, seems overkill such as at sports games. International experience shows though that the amount of people used in NZ is grossly lacking. That experience shows that when something goes wrong, say a fire in a stadium, everyone looks to the security & law enforcement personel to provide direction. That is where the international formula for the amount of security required at events comes from.
It is a health & safety issue first. Yet NZ doesn't even come close to this formula, but claims to have international standard events. Unless it complies with those requirements it could easily loose international events. It will also have to bring its training in line with international standards. At present only two companies offering training in NZ are of international standard. One starting out here in Christchurch(NZQA combined with Australian standards) & one in Auckland offering high end security to SIA standards (British standards).
As one British consultant remarked when making a documentary about NZ security & the training he observed one of our major companies carrying out, "lower than west africa". That is where they hand kids weapons & tell them they are soldiers or security.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
NZ Security Industry
Kia Ora,
With the NZ Government going through the process of renewing the laws governing security in NZ there needs to be greater awareness of what improvements are required within the industry & why.
First comment is that in general the NZ security industry just plays at security.
There are a number of reasons for that comment & in no way says that those performing the tasks are not putting a full effort into it.
To begin with probably one of the biggest limits on the industry is the NZ mindset on the requirements for security. Of all the countries travelled this is the one that the citizens will have the opinion that all restrictions are great except on them.
Then there is the companies who realizing this just put minimum effort in. In fact most have the view (& I have being told this by many of them) that if you see a crime or suspicious activity & it is not on your clients property ignore it. That leaves big holes similar to those that allowed the 9/11 attackers to get through.
NZ does not comply with international basic standards & are in fact are almost universally in regards to security in breach of the health & safety requirements. To do so would require a risk assessment & that just does not happen. Clients are not interested as if they are going to save money it is in cutting security.
Lack of training in most instances that is what the industry requires. NZQA is a joke & doesn't actually cover the basics required of a guard.
Internationally what has being found as only way that works is a legislated minimum formula. This also allows the industry to be an aid to the police in reducing crime. Not an aid to increasing crime as happens now with most of it going unreported.
Many in NZ will think this is over the top. Like many who worked there I felt safer in Baghdad than I do in Christchurch because of the random nature of the crime here & fact that will low population denisty on the surface NZ 'appears' safe.
With the NZ Government going through the process of renewing the laws governing security in NZ there needs to be greater awareness of what improvements are required within the industry & why.
First comment is that in general the NZ security industry just plays at security.
There are a number of reasons for that comment & in no way says that those performing the tasks are not putting a full effort into it.
To begin with probably one of the biggest limits on the industry is the NZ mindset on the requirements for security. Of all the countries travelled this is the one that the citizens will have the opinion that all restrictions are great except on them.
Then there is the companies who realizing this just put minimum effort in. In fact most have the view (& I have being told this by many of them) that if you see a crime or suspicious activity & it is not on your clients property ignore it. That leaves big holes similar to those that allowed the 9/11 attackers to get through.
NZ does not comply with international basic standards & are in fact are almost universally in regards to security in breach of the health & safety requirements. To do so would require a risk assessment & that just does not happen. Clients are not interested as if they are going to save money it is in cutting security.
Lack of training in most instances that is what the industry requires. NZQA is a joke & doesn't actually cover the basics required of a guard.
Internationally what has being found as only way that works is a legislated minimum formula. This also allows the industry to be an aid to the police in reducing crime. Not an aid to increasing crime as happens now with most of it going unreported.
Many in NZ will think this is over the top. Like many who worked there I felt safer in Baghdad than I do in Christchurch because of the random nature of the crime here & fact that will low population denisty on the surface NZ 'appears' safe.
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