Will the Christchurch Earthquake change the New Zealand mindset?

Kia Ora,

Since I started this blog a common thread has been the New Zealand mindset to threats in particular terrorism.

Will that change now a disaster has hit? Frankly from what I am seeing no.

You are seeing people complaining of how the scientists have said consistantly that an aftershock of 6 is likely & that this was not the expected big one(earthquake) from the Alpine Fault line. In fact though many of us including myself thought that is what it was as we are been told a lot it is overdue.
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People say they were scared at the time & I have no doubt most were, but myself I had two thoughts. First was Wow didn't know a tilt slab building could flex so much this is going to fall over. The second was for my father, wider family & our Marae as they are all very close to the Alpine Fault(within 100's of metres). So I am very aware of what can happen & have always taken a keen interest in this.

Having Knowledge can help you overcome the fear.

Too many are in denial. We should be using that knowledge to ensure the rebuilds are stronger, not delaying because someone thinks the historical look of Christchurch will be changed.

A comment by a person helping in the aftermath in response to complaints about bad building standards, was the standards were not designed to save the buildings but lives which is what they did or words to that effect. This means all buildings in the quake zone should be checked to see if they will stand up to another large quake. I know this has been done at least one shopping mall & it was rated to stand up to a specific large quake larger than the one that occurred.

But most people in Christchurch outside those who have been helping or worst affected still are in a form of denial. Even those badly hit think that nothing worse can happen despite the fact no one died. It is something you find in security here in Christchurch. When selling burglar alarms the comment was made that the hardest person to sell an alarm too as they don't believe they need it anymore are those that have been burgled.

A sign in one area says "welcome to Baghdad" & when interviewed by Paul Holmes someone commented it was like "Baghdad on a bad day." In fact they don't even come close. The aftershocks have just been like Baghdad on a normal day.
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There is now a concern for the Rugby World Cup 2011 which has been raised, but again the comments are there is little likelyhood of terrorist attacks.

It is the same type of denial when after some of the recent earthquakes have come from a new epicentre in the old volcano that is now Lyttleton Harbour. Questions about the volcano have been dismissed by the experts as it has not been an active volcano for 5.8 million years. Thing is only about two weeks ago it was reported a volcano that had been extinct for a very long time(sorry can't recall the years but it was enough to make you think) erupted.

Just because something is not likely doesn't mean it won't happen.
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So will there be a change in mindset?

I very much doubt it. A few more will take been ready for an earthquake seriously, many wll ditch their emergency kits within a year as they forget the whole thing. Most will figure it has happened once so will not happen again to them (despite there been a few who have been through two or three other quakes of similar magnitude in the city).

There is no difference there to the attitude of a likely terrorist attack here in New Zealand.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

What is ill informed comment?

Kia Ora,

Over the last day there have been many reports on the incident I wrote of in the last blog. Many of them have been far off the mark in accuracy & others just pie in the sky.

The early reports stated that the security guard had found a body on responding to the alarm which was corrected by a police release.

Last night one media outlet claimed security had missed the intruder, when police have not released details as investigation is on going.
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So what is the difference between some of that & what someone like me in this blog make statements about incidents.

Experience!

As I said in yesterday's blog, it is common for burglars to set off an alarm then return after they think everyone has left. In this case there is a large hole in the rear wall of the building, so experience tells me that it is likely once the alarm activated. The burglar has exited, watched the security patrol leave then waited sometime before re entering, not realizing that the key holder is still on site.

Burglars I have caught do not like confrontation, although when drugs are involved it changes the dynamics.
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Could of the key holder & security guard missed the burglar?

Yes! As I pointed out yesterday, though the time period between alarm & call for police would tend to support the returning scenario.

But where you can find a burglar hiding would astound people & no matter how thorough a search can miss someone. When you talk to firemen about where they have found people in a burning building (in cupboards, head in toilet etc) apart from the toilet pose within the NZ Security Industry you will hear stories of similar places used.

One that springs to mind is a security guard arriving at an alarm to find nothing, but as they were leaving noticed something odd with a panel of an advertising hoarding.

So they left, but doubled back to observe.

After about five minutes suddenly the panel moved out & out slide two burglars dressed in wetsuits(in an oviously failed attempt to not set off sensors)who suddenly found themselves faced with security & police.

It could of been easily missed.
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So there is a difference between sensational style media coverage with no view to facts or experience & opinions based on experience in the industry.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Threats can come from anywhere!

Kia Ora,

Early this morning New Zealand time a burglar alarm activated. The key holder responded once a security guard informed them of a break in. Together they entered & searched the premises but found nothing, upon which the security guard left.

Shortly after the Key holder was confronted by a male & a scuffle resulted. The male has died as a result.
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Up until the last paragraph that action takes place many times each night in New Zealand alone.

Upon discovery of a break the guard has waited for the key holder. Depending on the instructions left with the monitoring company often police will not be called. Although in this case it been a Chemist store, police should of really been informed immediately on finding of a break.

It is here the first threats have to be considered. Drug addicts are a likely suspect & on any break no one should enter without back up. Hence the guard waited to escort the key holder.
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Together they carried out a search with no result. One problem with two people is unless they are both on same wavelength areas can be missed.

One good team I often work with through subcontract work stick to the basic's year in, year out where each person has their own system, but each can be relied on to cover all nooks & cranny's in their assigned area.

I know of one guard who could not find a sign of a break on arrival, so entered on two alarm activations only to find the burglar holding on for dear life in the rafters of a store room just by chance on the second visit.

Now we still don't know what has happened in this incident that resulted in the death.

There are two scenario's. One the person was missed in the search.

The other which I would think is most likely & have seen it on several occassions, where a break happens, security & key holder respond, check the place out, usually the key holder remains to summon someone to fix break &/or clean up then leaves. On one occassion they could get no one in so altered the camera's & left.

When the burglar thinks that no one is on site they again enter the premises(often this happens several times) to carryout the burglary( on the occassion alluded to above there was some very good footage of the people at the bus stop on the first activation,driving a car up & climbing through the already broken window).
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At all times there is a threat & it can come from any direction. It can be on an alarm activation or just on a routine check as a mate found out when he was hit by a jemmy bar over the head.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Marlborough be very Afraid!

Kia Ora,

One of the items of news going around today is the possible staging of the Undie 500 rally ending on a property in Marlborough.

The comments attributed to one of the owners shows they have no idea what they have let themselves in for.



Where as their neighbour Peter Yealands does. To get where Peter has means he has had to take risks after weighing up the pro's & con's & quite obviously he sees this as too risky.

As I have stated before having carried out security for ENSOC (Engineering Students of Canterbury (University) functions in the past, they will have to insist on a lot of security (not the numbers ENSOC come up with) & being relatively isolated the security will require riot gear.



Before someone says I don't know the area & it is not that isolated, I went to school in Blenheim & my first security job on leaving the army was in Blenheim where I was at times required to answer alarms in Seddon township, past Peter Yealands vineyards (the neighbour of where the party is proposed). For any police or other responses it takes time to get there.

Therefore any security is going to be have to be prepared to fend for itself in the intervening time.



What sort of mindless behaviour can they expect.

Last night around here would be one thing that is likely to happen on the fringes, burnouts by boy racers, racing, a flurry of what appeared to be shots from an air rifle at one point.

At the party, severe intoxication, fighting, fires (the bigger the better & I have being in Marlborough when a fire has swept over those grasslands), theft, sexual assaults even to the extent where the owners are terrorized in their own home.



It is not being in the student area in Dunedin that causes the issues. It is the mindset of the ENSOC students going down there. Just, as they carry this type of behaviour out on a weekly basis, they get out when they see the police. The Otago students don't realize what they are in for.

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Consultants. What defines them?

Kia Ora,

Well still no word from 'Mr Angry' over my post yesterday.

But I do thank all those who sent messages of support. I really appreaciate them in particular from former military comrades & people I worked alongside in Iraq with, some who do have 'formal qualifications' & have done the hard yards.

At least they have given me something to write about. For the next few days I will go more in depth into what the issues are.

One of the main gripes was I was not a consultant.

So what defines a  security consultant?

 First there is the consultant I was contractored as in Iraq. As one mate found out & as I said as was pointed out to me, you were only there in some roles to advise & where therefore contracted as a consultant.

One mate lost his position for taking physical action because he felt it was too dangerous for the clients. Major news crews hire people as consultants, not specifically as bodyguards. They can ignore the consultants advice & more often than not those they employ come from one company whose operators experience is way in advance of my own.

But I am able to claim that I have & can work as a security consultant & I don't need a bit of paper to do so.

Of course there is the other more traditional view of a consultant, which is the person who carries out a security survey, then produces a nicely written assessment of what they think needs to be carried out to ensure the security of a premises or person.

This also is only advice which can be & is often ignored.

Again due to military qualifications, training & experience I can do that to a very high standard if asked. So can any person who was in the NZ military after they have gone through certain stages of their training.

In the last 12 months an experienced security consultant (of both types) has been trying to get me to stop giving out tips for free & focus on the consultancy role for which they believe I have the experience & knowledge to carryout this to a high degree.

Outside NZ, ex NZ military are considered extremely highly in the private security world & it is not based on a bit of paper.

Though if I do carryout a consultancy expect somethings outside the square.

For example when my runanga built our Marae I offered some security advise based on what the discussions were at the time.

Someone else spoke to a security consultant at the time who waffled on about alarms etc.

Like many Marae & Maori communities this is extremely isolated & in fact in 1906 was said to be the most isolated Maori community in NZ. Road goes through now but still isolated. No cell phone coverage, limited TV channels unless you go for Sky, internet is by satellite & it is only in the last 25 years that diesel generators have gone(though we have an emergency one at the Marae). 

Alarms are not a real option even if they were directed to someones house. You just never know if anyone is going to be in. Not to mention the weather plays havoc with them if wireless & if hardwired same issue plus having to lay wire through a swamp.

So down there you need to look more at using the ground to enhance security.

Some of my suggestions were using Geese instead of the proposed Dogs, gravel driveway as opposed to sealed, extending the ditches along roadside around the Marae site, then building old style pallisades to assist with fact it was built in a swamp.

In other words it was just like been in the army. Make use of the ground to benefit you or your client in this case.

Not all ideas were taken up, but that is fine.

As I said in yesterday's post, basically I can claim to be a consultant but it is not my focus. It is why I split the company in two. One side can do those areas if required, the newer one is focused on basic security, which in NZ is where we need to get it up to speed first. It is well away from that at present.

Anyway a blog is just opinion & I write mine based on experience in the NZ army, NZ security industry, working in Iraq, where I see the threats to NZ society & what we have to do to bring it up to a minimum level.

                                           http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz