Public security - Expert commentary

Today, almost every employee carries with them a smart device that can send messages, capture, and record images and increasingly live-stream video and audio, all appended with accurate location and time stamping data. Provide a way for staff to easily feed data from these devices directly to the control room to report an incident and you have created a new and extremely powerful ‘sensor’, capable of providing accurate, verified, real-time multi-media incident information. You need...

On 19th December, 2016, the news exploded with information about a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 50 others. Less than a month before, the US State Department had warned about such attacks in public places throughout Europe, saying that extremist groups including the Islamic State and Al Qaeda were planning to focus on such locales during the Holiday Season. Two types of vehicle access point To stop these attacks, security pr...

Today's threat landscape is bigger and more broad than ever before, with an increasing number of emerging risks falling on the shoulders of security professionals in a variety of markets. Many of these leaders face the growing concerns of finding efficient, integrated solutions that provide protection from threats, but also can be used in everyday communications to streamline operations, provide access control, and automate workflow. One way today's enterprise organisations, citie...

Part 1 in our Intercoms in Security Series Lambert-St. Louis International Airport uses Code Blue intercoms Organisations are demanding a new level of interoperability among mission-critical security systems. Intelligible audio, the ability to hear, be heard and be understood, is critical to communication, which is essential to the core security processes within an organisation, as well as to emergency situations. Intelligible audio provides a platform to optimise various...

The new scanner can quickly screen large groups of people without needing them to stop or slow down Most body scanners are designed to work one person at a time, checkpoint style. QinetiQ has developed a scanner that can be used in crowded places without having to slow down or stop moving targets. The body scanner, capable of detecting hidden explosives or weapons on a person, has been demonstrated publicly in the United Kingdom for the first time. The QinetiQ SPO-NX SPO-NX...

There has been a lot of investment in safe city projects around the world in 2016, particularly in India, where Qognify is currently involved in a number of major initiatives, as well as upgrading of security systems at major public transportation hubs and international airports. At Qognify, we have seen a continual trend towards organisations wanting their security systems to deliver operational efficiency and effectiveness to the wider business.   Here are some notable trend...

For more than a decade, Verint Systems, Melville, New York, has been developing and redefining the phrase the company pioneered: actionable intelligence. Today, its real-world specifications provide an in-depth analysis of video and integrated physical security data, deepening the gathering of intelligence and lessening risk at the protected premises. The entire realm of situational awareness continues to transition as intelligence is gleaned from new points, with this trend only...

In our world we make mobile security equipment for surveillance on-the-go in moving vehicles There are too many moving parts to a mobile system to think we could just predict hardware innovations. In our world we make mobile security equipment for surveillance on-the-go in moving vehicles. To make it work it takes a village of components vendors to bring it all together into a system that will keep civilians safer in the future. Possibly to the point of preventing an event fro...

The age of robotics is fast approaching. To be successful, security systems integrators need to understand how these machines fit in the security of their clients, according to industry experts. “The integrators did not begin this trend,” says Bill Bozeman, President and CEO of the PSA Security Network, cooperative of security product suppliers and system integration companies. “They did not say, ‘Oh boy I can’t wait to introduce robotics into my portfolio'. This i...

The 62nd ASIS International Seminar and Exhibits will run from September 12 to September 15 in Orlando, Florida. ASIS estimates that the Seminar may attract more than 20,000 security professionals to the Orlando Convention Center, where the event is being held. Giving back to the host community The Seminar always has a major economic effect on the host community. This year, ASIS will inaugurate a programme called Security Week, which is designed to give something back to the Sem...

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) in the United States fosters health insurance coverage for workers and their families, and requires national standards for electronic health care transactions.   The law’s privacy provisions include protection of information related to any individual’s health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care. There are also additional health privacy laws specific to California. Inter...

The need for security convergence and shared threat intelligence is markedly increasing “Converged security” has been a buzz phrase for more than a decade, but the industry is just now starting to reap the rewards. Converged security recognises that truly comprehensive organisational risk management involves the integration of two distinct security functions that have largely been siloed in the past: information security (network operations centre or NOC) and physi...

Part 2 of our robots in security series Companies realised they could improve security by mounting laser sensors and cameras on a mobile platform such as Knightscope's Autonomous Data Machines Security and safety robotics, unlike any other industry, is driven by customer and market demand. Once buyers acquire robots, they often find new things they want them to do. Manufacturers are then called upon to respond to those demands, and they often do. Enhancing security...

Workplace mobility is on the rise, which means organisations have an increasing number of employees who travel or work from home. In fact, there were 96.2 million mobile workers in 2015 and IDC predicts that mobile workers will account for nearly three quarters (72.3 percent) of the total U.S. workforce by 2020. While the growth of mobile workers is a boon to productivity both inside and outside the workplace, it also creates unique communication challenges – especially in emergency situat...

Over the course of the last decade, we’ve seen a blurring of lines between cyber and physical security concerns. Whether it’s the hacking of corporate information or the use of social media for nefarious activities, it’s clear that these once-separate security disciplines are often tied together. As a result, various organisations seek ways in which they can collaborate and share information to gain greater situational awareness to react faster, smarter and more...

Video surveillance plays a significant role in any comprehensive security plan, and the value derived from surveillance continues to expand Across the globe, organisations are challenged by a diverse risk landscape and a dynamic operational environment. The safety and security of people, assets and intellectual property are a No. 1 priority, and stakeholders look to gain continuous insight into what is happening at any given time. The ability to identify threats early and effi...

   Body worn cameras are seen as improving accountability, and also can provide evidence in criminal trials Body worn cameras have realised a surge in demand across the United States in the current climate of concern about how police interact with citizens, especially when that interaction turns deadly. Embracing body worn cameras For example, Los Angeles has approved a $69.6 million plan to equip 7,000 Los Angeles patrol officers with body worn cameras by the end o...

Part 4 of our Security in Healthcare series    Secure visitor management integrated with physical access control systems (PACS) is increasingly popular Controlling visitors to hospitals and healthcare facilities can directly impact security. Traditional methods of visitor management, such as paper visitor logs and handwritten badges are insufficient given today’s variety of security challenges. A hospital using paper-based systems cannot easily cross-c...

There is a contrast between high levels of security inside Westminster and little to no security outside the safe environment The fatal attack on 41-year-old Jo Cox, a Labour member of the British Parliament, on the street in her district in West Yorkshire in Northern England, is increasing calls for greater security of Members of Parliament (MPs). Cox was stabbed and shot to death June 16th outside a library in Birstall, where she was meeting with constituents. There have be...

No matter how strong the security planning, it will take only one small failure tocreate an opportunity for unimaginable events(Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci EPP / Shutterstock.com) Successful security at UEFA Euro 2016 may well depend on the ability of the French to bring cohesiveness to disparate technologies. Given the scale of the threats, a variety of security solutions are being used visibly and behind the scenes – in addition to the presence of 90,000 police, gend...

A public facility with too much security or the wrong kind  of security can discourage the public from visiting (Photo credit: Steve Williams Photography) The lethal November 2015 terrorist attacks against several soft targets in Paris have inspired changes in security at facilities considered soft targets across the United States and around the world. Today’s security directors well understand that “it can happen here.” To be clear, it probably won&rs...

Nationally from 2012 - 2015, there has been a decrease in the money spent on theinstallation, monitoring and maintenance of CCTV compared to the period 2009-2012 The UK has often been referred to as the world’s most watched country in terms of the scale of CCTV surveillance. But a new report claims that UK local authorities have reduced spending on the installation, maintenance and monitoring of public space CCTV systems, while the number of cameras being used is also do...

Portable crash barriers & traffic access control systems allow security integrators to expand their deployments for municipal surveillance and critical infrastructure The Pope does it. The Democratic and Republican National Conventions do it. Leading universities and police departments do it. Just what does this diverse list of people and organisations have in common? They have all used high-security portable barriers at their events with good success. According to manufa...

Many transformations have occurred that have caused PSIM’s true definition to be misunderstood and miscategorised The evolution of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) over the past ten years has been rapid and transformative. In fact, according to a recent report from marketsandmarkets.com, the global physical security market, estimated to be $65.41 billion in 2015, is expected to reach $105.26 billion by the year 2020. At the forefront of this movement...

The disaster training exercise took place at four sites, with the primary locationbeing a disused power station in Kent (Image credit: London Fire Brigade) Europe's biggest-ever disaster simulation provided a test to evaluate London’s ability to "detect, prevent and if necessary to withstand, handle and recover from disruptive challenges." Exercise Unified Response replicated the aftermath of a tower block falling into Waterloo Station, a transport hub on the south bank...

ISC West educational sessions bring into focus some of the challenges, issues and opportunities faced by systems integrators What will be the hot technology at ISC West 2016 this year? Devices to detect drones, more affordable biometrics, or cameras with 360 degrees of clear vision? You’ll probably see some of the above and much more if you’re attending the security industry’s largest trade show, scheduled for April 6 through 8 at the Sands Expo Center in Las...

Festivals bring together a huge number of people, often to large open areas andvenues, which requires a high level of security and protection fromthe organisers Festivals might be all about fun, but the fact that festival goers are out for a good time is an extra reason why the responsibility for safety and security lies predominantly with the organisers. Security during festivals plays an important role in ensuring safety of citizens. Since festivals witness congregation of...

It can be taken as proven that the trends in urbanisation, the mobility of the population and the demographics, have had and will continue to have tremendous impact on our daily lives. These impacts were and are supported by disruptive technology changes (such as the evolution of the internet and mobile communication) and result in higher dependencies of almost all economic and social processes. Compared with former generations, we are spending most of our time in buildings or closed mobile con...

Poor quality training, poor literacy and numeracy skills and inadequatesupervision were some of the areas for concern highlighted by ASQA A lack of consistency in licensing, poor training and variable standards of teaching safe restraint techniques among Australian security officers are putting members of the public at risk, according to a report by the national training regulator in Australia. The report reflects officer training and licensing challenges that are common w...

Led by European nations, there is a global shift to e-passports, with over 100 countries using these technologies With the number of global international tourist arrivals standing at over 1 billion and increasing migration in Europe, good border and passport security means having a layered approach and plenty of co-ordination among countries, says David Belchick, VP of Government Solutions at Entrust Datacard. Ever-growing border security challenges “More than one bil...