Kia Ora,
Since the shooting in Britain there have of course been murmurings about gun control & since the NZ Police Association President was near by some comment has being made comparing the two forces.
So first thing to look at would Gun control make any difference?
Not really, most incidents will occur if a firearm is available or not & recently there has being a spree of knife attacks by males on young children groups in China.
A firearm in most cases will allow someone to do more damage quickly. Too heavy restrictions will only tip the scales more in favour of those who obtain them illegally, which is where most of those involved in crime get them from.
But then you can go the other avenue which is just as dangerous. Until recently the US state of Arizona has like many states required its citizens to under go testing to gain a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Whilst everyone has been up in arms (excuse the pun) over Arizona's new immigrant law, where anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant can be stopped & asked for papers, no one has commented much on the changing of their gun laws allowing all & sundry to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
That can be as bad as been too restrictive as you just don't know who is carrying a weapon.
The other side of this is the police response & from a NZ point of view how would we respond.
As the Police Association President on business in the UK pointed out NZ police have better access to firearms than their average British counterpart, but if we are to move towards arming our police, they need better training.
In reality the speed with which these incidents grow we can take a leaf out of the British police book & have a group of specially armed police on permanent duty as the current procedures of getting AOS together resembles keystone cops, whilst the general duty police officer generally unarmed is left to deal with the situation.
So conceivably by the time the AOS are assembled the same situation of someone with good local knowledge could wreck mayhem.
Actually I have being in a situation where this could of happened shortly after leaving the army & entering the industry, asked to guard a house overnight that certain people with a history of violence had threatened to firebomb (& as we found out later in the night threatened to kill the owner as he run from the fire). So a guard was required in the meantime whilst they had time over night to get the AOS together.
People were so scared of these people as they had firebombed houses previously that
no one would let the owner stay with them so he came home.
Another issue is many of the police force do not want to carry weapons, but they do want to be police officers.
I am sure there is a way to accomodate both as they are not the military.
Having a firearm & using it is a huge responsibility & as the Australian security guards found over the weekend it has consequences. One guard was shot dead in a bungled armed robbery & a firearm taken from one of the guards.
That is what those in the NZ security industry without adequate training or experience with firearms have to think about. We do need them in some roles but who should be allowed to use them is another matter.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Racism & Security. How does it affect us?
Kia Ora,
In the last week or so there have being articles referring to racism often in our newspapers. So how does racism affect those in security?
First there is the racial abuse you get when carrying out your tasks. As a very pale Maori I probably hear it more than most as many will look at my skin colour & I either get confided in as to "those so & so's (of what ever colour)" or get abused as someone I am not.
But when dealing with drunks it is often the first thing that you hear.
Then you have the other side of the equation which I was surprised to hear from Sir Ian Mckellen's meeting (as outlined in an article in the Sunday Star-Times) with our former PM after he expressed the sentiments of how great we are intergrated in terms of race. I agree with the PM's sentiments that actually we are a very racist country.
Much of it only comes out at certain times as issues such as the Foreshore & Seabed legislation. It is just more understated than in most countries. Generally most people get on, but then an issue comes up & the most common words you hear are "I am not a racist but..."
I was aware a little of it after I left school, but then going in the army where overall everyone is green & we actually make it a bit of a joke to call each other by what would be regarded as racist remarks in civvy street, I just did not realize how bad it was until leaving.
As the world financial crisis bites & forecast to worsen then the acts of crime or violence in regards to race will increase.
Only on Friday night in Queenstown, two individuals from other cities within NZ were arrested for a series of attacks on tourists.
These attacks have racist overtones, just by the fact of the two cities these two individuals come from are considered the two main cities with white power connections & themselves often have attacks on tourists.
So in the security industry we will see this more & more as part of what we have to confront.
With the Rugby World Cup 2011 apparently going to be held in NZ, it is something that has to be confronted, but like everything else since NZ is spread out with a low population, it doesn't appear that bad, so no one does anything.
But then as someone pointed out in an article recently when they did the math on a per capita basis NZ had a higher death toll due to car accidents than China.
We also have the second highest percentage of people in prison in the industrialized world.
The racial taunts we all generally develop a way to deal with it.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
In the last week or so there have being articles referring to racism often in our newspapers. So how does racism affect those in security?
First there is the racial abuse you get when carrying out your tasks. As a very pale Maori I probably hear it more than most as many will look at my skin colour & I either get confided in as to "those so & so's (of what ever colour)" or get abused as someone I am not.
But when dealing with drunks it is often the first thing that you hear.
Then you have the other side of the equation which I was surprised to hear from Sir Ian Mckellen's meeting (as outlined in an article in the Sunday Star-Times) with our former PM after he expressed the sentiments of how great we are intergrated in terms of race. I agree with the PM's sentiments that actually we are a very racist country.
Much of it only comes out at certain times as issues such as the Foreshore & Seabed legislation. It is just more understated than in most countries. Generally most people get on, but then an issue comes up & the most common words you hear are "I am not a racist but..."
I was aware a little of it after I left school, but then going in the army where overall everyone is green & we actually make it a bit of a joke to call each other by what would be regarded as racist remarks in civvy street, I just did not realize how bad it was until leaving.
As the world financial crisis bites & forecast to worsen then the acts of crime or violence in regards to race will increase.
Only on Friday night in Queenstown, two individuals from other cities within NZ were arrested for a series of attacks on tourists.
These attacks have racist overtones, just by the fact of the two cities these two individuals come from are considered the two main cities with white power connections & themselves often have attacks on tourists.
So in the security industry we will see this more & more as part of what we have to confront.
With the Rugby World Cup 2011 apparently going to be held in NZ, it is something that has to be confronted, but like everything else since NZ is spread out with a low population, it doesn't appear that bad, so no one does anything.
But then as someone pointed out in an article recently when they did the math on a per capita basis NZ had a higher death toll due to car accidents than China.
We also have the second highest percentage of people in prison in the industrialized world.
The racial taunts we all generally develop a way to deal with it.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Good Security: It does exist!
Kia Ora,
Alot of my security blogs are about the need for the NZ security industry to bring itself up to speed.
But that is not to say there is not good security companies here. Today there was an interview with an operator from a company which I was aware of having good standards.
The operator also naturally had good standards as he comes from outside NZ so understands good security.
There is also one good events security company, but it is good for the NZ environment as I often tell its owner for the Rugby World cup 2011 it is a whole new step up in level & in particular mindset.
There are a lot of good people who have left the industry because they have being punished for actually carrying out security.
So there are individuals, companies that do provide real security, but it needs the powers that be to recognize that the industry as a whole needs to improve & that does not always mean carrying out some recognized course or a course based on how people perform in the class room.
Security is a physical profession that should value experience & skills people bring to it.
Training is of course needed, but as couple of stories from Iraq reminds me, courses are not always the answer.
Two individuals with time in Iraq had to attend a course prior to starting with their new company. The drills taught were the standard body guard drills with national variations, but in one incident they told the story where they stood & laughed.
The Instructor said "I don't like your attitude" or words to that effect, but these two just replied " you do that in Baghdad, just roll out the extra body bags" or words to that effect.
Second story is about a group of higly qualified instructors arriving in Baghdad to take a newly required course & after the first session been basically told to f... off by the staff they were training as it might have its place in some environments, but not in Baghdad.
Bodyguard training as I received from experienced operators in NZ on a formal NZQA course gave you a base, but when you are required to do the real thing it quickly becomes obvious that each situation requires a totally different approach.
On return I was offered an upgrade for free with assessment by an instructor as my level had never being tested on a practical basis.
First issue with NZ training industry was on a couple of courses you were, but most you were not so standards were different. We had been tested to a practical level.
The other issue is having that experience & higher skill level, how does someone without it understand where you are coming from or assess you?
It is something the military in many countries have found over the years when soldiers come back from operations & stay in the military they then go on promotion courses & when told something will not work, calmly reply "well it did in so & so" & it can not be argued that it does not work. But it does cause issues for instructors.
That is why some military courses changed their stance on tactics & you could not fail on tactics. A successful tactic is one that works, no matter how crazy it might seem in the light of day.
We also seen though that systems can be too inflexible if people don't have that wider mindset to see where each fits.
http://www/foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Alot of my security blogs are about the need for the NZ security industry to bring itself up to speed.
But that is not to say there is not good security companies here. Today there was an interview with an operator from a company which I was aware of having good standards.
The operator also naturally had good standards as he comes from outside NZ so understands good security.
There is also one good events security company, but it is good for the NZ environment as I often tell its owner for the Rugby World cup 2011 it is a whole new step up in level & in particular mindset.
There are a lot of good people who have left the industry because they have being punished for actually carrying out security.
So there are individuals, companies that do provide real security, but it needs the powers that be to recognize that the industry as a whole needs to improve & that does not always mean carrying out some recognized course or a course based on how people perform in the class room.
Security is a physical profession that should value experience & skills people bring to it.
Training is of course needed, but as couple of stories from Iraq reminds me, courses are not always the answer.
Two individuals with time in Iraq had to attend a course prior to starting with their new company. The drills taught were the standard body guard drills with national variations, but in one incident they told the story where they stood & laughed.
The Instructor said "I don't like your attitude" or words to that effect, but these two just replied " you do that in Baghdad, just roll out the extra body bags" or words to that effect.
Second story is about a group of higly qualified instructors arriving in Baghdad to take a newly required course & after the first session been basically told to f... off by the staff they were training as it might have its place in some environments, but not in Baghdad.
Bodyguard training as I received from experienced operators in NZ on a formal NZQA course gave you a base, but when you are required to do the real thing it quickly becomes obvious that each situation requires a totally different approach.
On return I was offered an upgrade for free with assessment by an instructor as my level had never being tested on a practical basis.
First issue with NZ training industry was on a couple of courses you were, but most you were not so standards were different. We had been tested to a practical level.
The other issue is having that experience & higher skill level, how does someone without it understand where you are coming from or assess you?
It is something the military in many countries have found over the years when soldiers come back from operations & stay in the military they then go on promotion courses & when told something will not work, calmly reply "well it did in so & so" & it can not be argued that it does not work. But it does cause issues for instructors.
That is why some military courses changed their stance on tactics & you could not fail on tactics. A successful tactic is one that works, no matter how crazy it might seem in the light of day.
We also seen though that systems can be too inflexible if people don't have that wider mindset to see where each fits.
http://www/foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Friday, June 4, 2010
Will a Forum Make a difference?
Kia Ora,
It has been announced that a Forum has been created to combat crime during the Rugby world Cup.
It maybe the Cynic in me but I am not sure what this group will actually achieve.
I believe the camel is described as a horse designed by a committee.
The impressive list of groupings named in this forum all have their own agendas & from experience in dealing with a few of them there is very little likelyhood of any real solutions, but there will be a lovely talk fest.
Now before 'Mr Angry' gets upset I will detail in broad terms my dealings that have brought me to those conclusions.
In one of the major groupings involved the people on the ground have the answers, but it is appearing more & more often its top level seem to be out of touch with them. That comes from talking to those on the ground.
Shortly after leaving the NZ army & entering the security industry I carried out a good old fashioned military appreciation of a major local issue at the time, came up with a solution. When presented to this group, which would of saved their industry thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollar's, their reply was we don't do that.
Funny thing is I got different replies from different members of that group each contradicting the other.
Another member of the forum basically required me to drop my standards or they would not deal with me & their standards are supposedly gained from another member of the forum.
These two also require no criticism of members of their associations. If there is no criticism or frank discussions then there is no way people can move forward.
In fact that is another major difference between those coming from the military & those in the civilian environment, especially in the NZ security industry.
It is not uncommon for you to achieve your aim, then look to see how you could of carried it out better, where as your civilian counterpart thinks it is all Ok because it was successful.
Not only do I suspect it will be not that successful, but it will bring methods of crime that usually take time to get to NZ shores here much qucker than normal.
Considering the average attitude in NZ is that we are too small & too far away those sort of crimes or as I often emphasize terrorist attacks will never get here, unless something is done that is different from the norm then Crime will accelerate even greater than it will due to the worsening economic conditions.
Not to mention the fact there in the last few years there has being a rise in crime against tourists.
Visitors to the country need to be aware that though the country appears nice & safe, appearances can be deceiving & they have to take the same precautions they would at home.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
It has been announced that a Forum has been created to combat crime during the Rugby world Cup.
It maybe the Cynic in me but I am not sure what this group will actually achieve.
I believe the camel is described as a horse designed by a committee.
The impressive list of groupings named in this forum all have their own agendas & from experience in dealing with a few of them there is very little likelyhood of any real solutions, but there will be a lovely talk fest.
Now before 'Mr Angry' gets upset I will detail in broad terms my dealings that have brought me to those conclusions.
In one of the major groupings involved the people on the ground have the answers, but it is appearing more & more often its top level seem to be out of touch with them. That comes from talking to those on the ground.
Shortly after leaving the NZ army & entering the security industry I carried out a good old fashioned military appreciation of a major local issue at the time, came up with a solution. When presented to this group, which would of saved their industry thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollar's, their reply was we don't do that.
Funny thing is I got different replies from different members of that group each contradicting the other.
Another member of the forum basically required me to drop my standards or they would not deal with me & their standards are supposedly gained from another member of the forum.
These two also require no criticism of members of their associations. If there is no criticism or frank discussions then there is no way people can move forward.
In fact that is another major difference between those coming from the military & those in the civilian environment, especially in the NZ security industry.
It is not uncommon for you to achieve your aim, then look to see how you could of carried it out better, where as your civilian counterpart thinks it is all Ok because it was successful.
Not only do I suspect it will be not that successful, but it will bring methods of crime that usually take time to get to NZ shores here much qucker than normal.
Considering the average attitude in NZ is that we are too small & too far away those sort of crimes or as I often emphasize terrorist attacks will never get here, unless something is done that is different from the norm then Crime will accelerate even greater than it will due to the worsening economic conditions.
Not to mention the fact there in the last few years there has being a rise in crime against tourists.
Visitors to the country need to be aware that though the country appears nice & safe, appearances can be deceiving & they have to take the same precautions they would at home.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Green Zone Changes hands!
Kia Ora,
Well the news has come through that the last part of the 'Green Zone' in Baghdad Iraq has changed hands & the US has handed control over to the Iraqi forces.
In the article I read from the 'TheTimes' an Iraqi MP points out that one of the issues for the US is they used to lock themselves in the Green Zone & never really learnt about Iraqi culture or the people.
For those of us that worked there is was one of the first things we noticed & been Kiwis, in particular ex military it was one of the things our military was always big on, cultural awareness.
It also helped that we understood much of the Iraqi tribal culture probably better than anyone else as it was often similar to Maori Culture.
Arab time is on a slower scale than Maori time we know that for sure.
The article though is inaccurate in parts about the Green Zone. Not all parts had 24 hour electricity, there were an estimated 30,000 Iraqis living in there & it wasn't always that safe. That wasn't just from the the mortars, rockets or suicide bombers at the gates either.
Most of my time was spent in the so called 'Red' zone & apart from the fact you were isolated, in the most part you felt safer, but you had to be ready.
So coming back to NZ were does that fit in with security here?
At times in security you have to deal with those living on the street or in an emotional state & so it can be very similar to applying the cultural awareness. You give the most respect to those who have the least.
In the first instance that is how you approach the issue, but it does not always work out that way.
The Skills required are similar or in most cases the same, it is how you apply it that is different. Most of all experience counts. But you always have to be ready.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Well the news has come through that the last part of the 'Green Zone' in Baghdad Iraq has changed hands & the US has handed control over to the Iraqi forces.
In the article I read from the 'TheTimes' an Iraqi MP points out that one of the issues for the US is they used to lock themselves in the Green Zone & never really learnt about Iraqi culture or the people.
For those of us that worked there is was one of the first things we noticed & been Kiwis, in particular ex military it was one of the things our military was always big on, cultural awareness.
It also helped that we understood much of the Iraqi tribal culture probably better than anyone else as it was often similar to Maori Culture.
Arab time is on a slower scale than Maori time we know that for sure.
The article though is inaccurate in parts about the Green Zone. Not all parts had 24 hour electricity, there were an estimated 30,000 Iraqis living in there & it wasn't always that safe. That wasn't just from the the mortars, rockets or suicide bombers at the gates either.
Most of my time was spent in the so called 'Red' zone & apart from the fact you were isolated, in the most part you felt safer, but you had to be ready.
So coming back to NZ were does that fit in with security here?
At times in security you have to deal with those living on the street or in an emotional state & so it can be very similar to applying the cultural awareness. You give the most respect to those who have the least.
In the first instance that is how you approach the issue, but it does not always work out that way.
The Skills required are similar or in most cases the same, it is how you apply it that is different. Most of all experience counts. But you always have to be ready.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Can a Leopard really change its Spots?
Kia Ora,
Well a few topics I could write about at moment, but will stick to one for the day.
In the newspaper (Christchurch Press) today was the mention that ENSOC (Engineering Students of Canterbury University) have held meetings with the Kaikoura District Council with a view to holding their infamous Undie 500 event to finish they hope in Kaikoura this year.
The ENSOC president said that this year they had plans to avoid the anti social behaviour that has plagued them in the past.
But does a Leopard really change its spots?
Having had a lot of experience(there's that word again) in events involving ENSOC, he may intend that, but there will be members of their organization that intend to live up to the book opposite.
They once rang me to provide security for an event. They stippulated the numbers, but having had recent experience of them, the numbers they quoted were about a quarter of what was needed, it needed to be cash up front (as the first thing they claim as the clamp goes down on their activities is say they will not pay) & we don't have full riot kit yet.
I recommended they call an events security company, but they didn't as they have never liked the way that company keeps a lid on them.
That is the answer to the issue. Make them pay for some good security & keep a lid on everything they do. The town shouldn't pay for them getting out of control.
So that would mean security guards on the streets of Kaikoura to ensure as much as possible things are kept a lid on.
The cost & security plan might just stop those that want to cause trouble showing up.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Well a few topics I could write about at moment, but will stick to one for the day.
In the newspaper (Christchurch Press) today was the mention that ENSOC (Engineering Students of Canterbury University) have held meetings with the Kaikoura District Council with a view to holding their infamous Undie 500 event to finish they hope in Kaikoura this year.
The ENSOC president said that this year they had plans to avoid the anti social behaviour that has plagued them in the past.
But does a Leopard really change its spots?
Having had a lot of experience(there's that word again) in events involving ENSOC, he may intend that, but there will be members of their organization that intend to live up to the book opposite.
They once rang me to provide security for an event. They stippulated the numbers, but having had recent experience of them, the numbers they quoted were about a quarter of what was needed, it needed to be cash up front (as the first thing they claim as the clamp goes down on their activities is say they will not pay) & we don't have full riot kit yet.
I recommended they call an events security company, but they didn't as they have never liked the way that company keeps a lid on them.
That is the answer to the issue. Make them pay for some good security & keep a lid on everything they do. The town shouldn't pay for them getting out of control.
So that would mean security guards on the streets of Kaikoura to ensure as much as possible things are kept a lid on.
The cost & security plan might just stop those that want to cause trouble showing up.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
How could of Israel handled this better?
Kia Ora,
Interesting development in the middleeast & emotions are running high on all sides.
So, how could of Israel handled this better? Basically this is a security issue & what works at the local level can be used at an international level.
First of all we need to look at the international law & if Israel was within its rights to intervene whilst the ships were still in international waters.
They could point to the British torpeding of the General Belgrano during the Falklands war, but then the Belgrano was a heavy warship heading into a war zone so it is not comparing apples with apples.
In local law the situation is much the same. As security we can not interfere with issues outside our area of responsibility unless life is in danger (or believed to be), the person has exited from our area & we have a responsiblity for their actions(people debate this but from a liability point of view I would say so) or as they are about to enter our area & for some reason we have to stop them. We can though call the police or authorities to deal with their actions.
For the Israelis I would of taken the same look at things.
First let the convoy, after warnings, enter Israeli territorial waters thereby giving them legal & moral rights. Stop the convoy in force & search for weapons, which Israel has a legitimate right to be concerned about.
After a thorough search I would of then allowed them to continue as a gesture of goodwill & for humanitarian reasons.
Any resistance shown would be in breach of any laws & by their actions the Israelis would of shown they are not all hard & without reason.
In a local sense we don't usually have the powers of search, excpet if under certain acts of parliament (so usually a government department, not private security), but can enforce conditions of entry. Which means in practice you must consent to a bag search or not bring it in & there are ways in which it should be carried out.
To ensure there is no claim of favouritism then all people in both situations need to be treated the same.
Most people get very upset when security check small kids bags for alcohol, but they forget that first everyone must be treated the same & second the amount of alcohol adults put in childrens bags is astounding.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Interesting development in the middleeast & emotions are running high on all sides.
So, how could of Israel handled this better? Basically this is a security issue & what works at the local level can be used at an international level.
First of all we need to look at the international law & if Israel was within its rights to intervene whilst the ships were still in international waters.
They could point to the British torpeding of the General Belgrano during the Falklands war, but then the Belgrano was a heavy warship heading into a war zone so it is not comparing apples with apples.
In local law the situation is much the same. As security we can not interfere with issues outside our area of responsibility unless life is in danger (or believed to be), the person has exited from our area & we have a responsiblity for their actions(people debate this but from a liability point of view I would say so) or as they are about to enter our area & for some reason we have to stop them. We can though call the police or authorities to deal with their actions.
For the Israelis I would of taken the same look at things.
First let the convoy, after warnings, enter Israeli territorial waters thereby giving them legal & moral rights. Stop the convoy in force & search for weapons, which Israel has a legitimate right to be concerned about.
After a thorough search I would of then allowed them to continue as a gesture of goodwill & for humanitarian reasons.
Any resistance shown would be in breach of any laws & by their actions the Israelis would of shown they are not all hard & without reason.
In a local sense we don't usually have the powers of search, excpet if under certain acts of parliament (so usually a government department, not private security), but can enforce conditions of entry. Which means in practice you must consent to a bag search or not bring it in & there are ways in which it should be carried out.
To ensure there is no claim of favouritism then all people in both situations need to be treated the same.
Most people get very upset when security check small kids bags for alcohol, but they forget that first everyone must be treated the same & second the amount of alcohol adults put in childrens bags is astounding.
http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
