When entering many businesses today the first and last person we see is the security officer, thus like it or not, the security person is the first and last impression of your organization.

In the Bahamas, like other places in the world, the security guard is usually not the first option of a career for the individual filling that role. The career of security guard is rarely seen at the top of the list when teenagers are asked what they aspire to be.   This last resort thus makes the selection pool shallow to say the least. On the other end of the spectrum you find that many of these roles are filled with retired or former police officers.   These persons are usually, for the most part, very reactive in their approach to security, resulting from years of training as police officers.   They are usually a grim reminder that policing and security are similar professions but very different in their attempt to reduce loss. In fact policing is concerned more with recovery of loss or the discovery of causation factors whereas security focus is on retention and prevention of loss...

For fraud to be successful, you need two co-operating parties, the fraudster and the willing victim. This was brought to my attention recently when we were called regarding money stolen from an investment group. The amount lost was quite substantial, even though the amount to be invested was small. It may appear to be impossible to lose a lot of money with conservative investments; it is not necessarily the case.

The manager of the investment said he was outraged at the loss, and insisted that he would oversee recovering the missing funds. Not a very good idea considering that it is inappropriate to have someone who might reasonably be suspected of causing the loss to be allowed to conduct the investigation. If the potential suspect is a bad guy it gives him a better chance of covering his tracks and getting away with it. If he is innocent and the money is not recovered, it unnecessarily leaves a suspicion that he might have been involved...

During a self defense training session this morning I had to deal with a recruit who we will call Jeff. Now Jeff was stronger and more aggressive than his partner who we will call Peter. As the various drills were given out I observed how Jeff would throw and toss Peter around the floor as if he was a rag doll. On the other hand the when the rolls were switched unexpectedly the rough and aggressive response was not given. Jeff’s action became more aggressive to the point where I had to step in and admonish him, about his action, which in my opinion equated to abuse.

However in Jeff’s opinion he was not doing anything wrong, as he felt that he was in control and stressed the fact that Peter was doing the same thing. Jeff’s perspective is what he operated on, thus he made a decision to act accordingly...

Just as 9/11 created a quantum leap for the physical and access control components of security, so too have recent hurricanes like, Katrina, Rita, and Ike. These have caused a jump forward with regard to emergency, crisis, and disaster management elements of loss prevention. So now out of this chaos we must first and foremost review our plan. What elements have now become obsolete and irrelevant to preparedness, response, and recovery effort?

Additionally, a critical element which is sometimes overlooked is the awareness / education phase of the plan.  This is especially important to professions like health care, where the workplace must be manned regardless of what happens. Persons working in similar industries cannot just close up shop until the storm passes. Education and awareness of what you may ask..?

Is crime out of control or are we as citizenry able to manage this problem? The first few weeks of 2008 as it pertains to crime may lead us to believe otherwise. As mentioned a few weeks ago we have seen a major upheaval in the amount of criminal activity. The police really have there hands full.

But really, is crime a police problem? Take for example the repair man be he a plumber or mechanic, does the fact that your septic tank has backed up or your car being unable to start really the problem of the fix-it-guy. When we consider it the issue may have been transferred to the police but crime is really our problem...

If you recall I stated in previous writings that our approach to community policing was a failure, now based on the numbers released yesterday it is as I said, 'painfully obvious'. The 5 years of the Urban Renewal has demonstrated and proven that Community Policing as we have chosen to implement it cannot and will not work. So what if the initiative received international acclaim, it is not working. I recall the announced visiting of the health department of a restaurant I worked at, the entire day and night before was dedicated to cleaning of the kitchen and eating area. We passed the inspection.

In my opinion we have taken pieces and parts of a puzzle and run off with them, without not fully understanding how they work in the first instance and secondly how they work in our environment and culture. The Community Policing concept has its contemporary roots with the New York City Police Department in 1994 and is from this management concept where many policing strategies including COMPS TAT, came from...

Firstly it must be stated that no amount of money is worth the risk of personal injury or death. Victims of armed robberies commonly experience physical and emotional problems following the incident. Many of these persons subsequently experience complaints such as chronic nervousness, insomnia, nightmares and headaches, coupled with emotional disorders such as greater aggressiveness, moodiness, depression and a general distrust of others. The emotional disorders tend to last longer then the physical disorders.

Enclosed are tips on how to handle an armed robbery, preserve the crime scene, and how to report details to the authorities afterward...

In my series on 'How Not to Become a Victim of Crime', a plan of action is discussed in detail.   However, I received request for actual pointers and recommendations on exactly what should one do.  The following recommendations are not guaranteed as every business, home, and persons, may need to modify the list provided to accommodate their various environment.

We shall first look at armed robbery response; this serious crimes as classified by the Royal Bahamas Police Force has even been given its own special team of investigators. The police have targeted it as a key crime for intervention, but have found it difficult to deal with effectively, as recent corruption cases have shown. It is widely reported in the media, and convicted armed robbers receiving long prison sentences...

So now that we have created this state of awareness, and gathered all this information what shall we do. Last week we focused on the need to be aware of our surroundings in an effort to combat criminality, so now what do we do you may ask. Let us compare this sense of awareness with a RADAR, you know the thing used to alert pilots, ship operators of the approach of potential danger. 

What a RADAR does is very similar to what I described in last weeks article, it essentially sends out feelers in the form of radio waves which after bouncing off the incoming object enables the person who is monitoring...

What you see is what you believe, and what we are seeing in our society of late is an increase in criminality that has all of us concerned.  While the experts may say otherwise, there actions also indicate a situation and environment, that questions even if they even believe what they are saying. But not to jump on the police as they have enough problems, the focus must be on the corporate community which moves a head regardless, as business must go on.  This being the case then increased efforts are necessary for the safe delivery of services to customers.

By this time organizational heads should have now strategies their forward movement in regards to this crime situation. A word of caution here, yes it is that time of the year when crime usually increases, a sort of rush to break last years scores. All of us in the corporate arena have become accustomed to it, but we must not allow complacency to over ride caution...

Is the Bahamian Workplace safe, not just for customers but also the employees? Before we say yes, the following should be considered.

1. Type of profession
2. Location
3. Hours of operation
4. Cash accessibility and availability

These four factors in my opinion will determine how this question is answered. In to day's society we are seeing a change in attitude and thus tactics...