• Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscription
  • The Magazine
  • Podcast
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Circuit Magazine

For Security & Protection Specialists

Surveillance Detection & Global Business

 

 

As we continue this series of articles discussing surveillance detection (SD), it is only natural that we explore the use of SD by global business to mitigate and prevent attacks on their businesses.

Surv Detection

 

The National Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism reports that around 20% of international terrorist attacks are directed against business. In the aftermath of 9/11, approximately 200,000 jobs were eliminated or temporarily relocated outside of New York City and since 9/11; nearly 2,000 people have been killed in terrorist attacks on businesses.

 

In today’s global economy businesses are operating in an increasingly dangerous world, facing risks from terrorism and political violence which has a major impact on both strategy and operations. Concerns about political violence are preventing companies from investing where they would like to and forcing them to face a variety of threats based on their location, products or services and political affiliations. By employing SD, a company operating in today’s dangerous global economy can safeguard life and prevent disruption to operations by identifying threats to their security and disrupting terrorist attacks in the planning phase.

 

Just as with any SD plan, a SD plan for a business begins with a threat assessment. Depending on business size a company may choose to employee a professional surveillance detection team or in the case of smaller businesses, they may rely on existing employees to conduct SD. For this reason it is extremely important that the employees conducting SD be thoroughly vetted. SD plans for small businesses are similar to SD plans for individuals since the threat is directed towards a small group of people and a specific facility. SD functions such as collecting and analyzing the information generated by SD operations should be assigned to a detail oriented individual and periodically reviewed by management. The SD plan should assess the same areas of vulnerability as an individual SD plan, however route reviews only need to be conducted if information is developed that individuals or vehicles associated with the business may be targeted.

You should begin your SD plan by identifying suitable observation points (OP’s) that provide optimal views of critical locations that hostile surveillance would want to watch such as the entrance to the business or facilities. Close attention should be paid to vehicles and people that look out of place or are people exhibiting poor surveillance demeanor.

When conducting SD operations it is essential that the general public, customers and contractors / vendors are carefully observed for any indicators of hostile surveillance, such as people wearing unsuitable clothing for the weather or environment, people with unusual bulges under their clothing, wires protruding from their clothing, people who are sweating profusely, mumbling to themselves or fidgeting, people who appear to be attempting to avoid security personnel or law enforcement and people who appear out of place.

SD plans for businesses must include a clearly defined response to any confirmed surveillance which includes reporting any hostile surveillance to the proper authorities. In addition, there should be a plan in place in the event of an attack against an employee, facility or assets.

 

In the case of large corporations your budget will determine your SD limitations. Just as we’ve discussed, you must determine what personnel and assets you are trying to protect and conduct a threat assessment. A third party may be hired to conduct SD or existing personnel may be specially trained and utilized.

 

With large corporations, your SD plan must address issues such as how the SD team will communicate with management and how the SD team will interact with existing security personnel which includes addressing how the SD team will work with existing security when surveillance is detected or it is determined that an attack is imminent. There should be a designated liaison appointed to communicate with local authorities regarding suspicious activity and recent local criminal activity that could impact corporate security. The SD plan should identify a clear chain of command and define each SD operator’s responsibilities and a task schedule can be implemented to ensure efficiency.

 

Facing threats of terrorism and political violence on a daily basis has become part of doing business in today’s global economy regardless of business size. By incorporating a SD plan into business operations, companies are able to identify threats to their employees and assets in the planning phase and prevent attacks and loss.

 

By: Jeff Burns

About the author

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Buy The Latest Issue

Sign Up For News and Updates

We respect your privacy and will not share your information with anyone.
We will only message you when we have something relevant and of value to share with you.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Latest Issue

Circuit Magazine - Issue 66 - AI Armageddon

Issue 66

Buy Now

Latest Newsletter

Newsletter Sign Up

What you don't know CAN hurt you!

SUBSCRIBE

Latest Industry News

Ugandan Minister Killed by Bodyguard in Apparent Wage Dispute

A Ugandan government minister, Charles Engola, was shot and killed by his bodyguard early Tuesday in an apparent private dispute over wages, according to the army and local media. Engola, a retired army colonel, served as the junior minister in charge of labor in President Yoweri Museveni’s government.

Event

News - Circuit Magazine

Zelenskiy Denies Ukraine’s Involvement in Alleged Kremlin Drone Attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has refuted Russia’s claims that Ukraine was involved in a drone attack on the Kremlin, which was allegedly aimed at killing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine fights and defends its territory, not attacking Putin or Moscow. The Kremlin reported that two drones were used in the attack but were disabled by Russian defenses.

News taken from Issue 65 of the Circuit Magazine

Bodyguard Saves Japanese PM from Pipe Bomb Attack

A bodyguard has been hailed as a hero for his quick-thinking actions during a suspected pipe-bomb attack on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Video footage captured the bodyguard kicking away a metal object as it landed near Kishida
before positioning himself between the Prime Minister and the device, shielding him with a collapsible, handheld ballistics shield.

News from Issue 65 of the Circuit Magazine

AlertEnterprise Reveals First-Ever Guardian AI Chatbot Powered by OpenAI ChatGPT

AlertEnterprise has unveiled its first-ever Guardian AI Chatbot powered by OpenAI ChatGPT. The chatbot will make its global debut at the ASIS Europe and ISC West trade events. Built on OpenAI’s GPT-3 platform, the Guardian AI Chatbot aims to provide security operators with instant access to critical physical access and security insights through quick questions and prompts.

James Bore's Cyber Security

Ways to See the Threat Before it Happens

Threat modelling is widely in use, whether knowingly or not, across every walk of life – and has been used since time immemorial to prioritise security defences. The only difference between the well-known risk assessments carried out by everyone and threat modelling in cyber security is the attempt to document and systemise it. I am hoping that this idea of formal threat modelling will be a useful tool for you to use in your future arsenal of available resources as a CP operator.

Close Protection advice

Keeping Your Edge: Building a Solid Foundation

Longevity, consistency and remaining relevant are some primary goals of all protectors. These factors are important when establishing a new contract and providing services for a new client. But what is equally important is the mindset that goes into those first days and weeks on the assignment. As such, I wanted to get the personal perspective of Vantrell Wilson, a close protection agent who I have trained with and worked alongside of for years now.

Technology in the security industry

Leveraging Technology in Industry Hiring

Increased global connectedness through technology is fast becoming the norm these days. Video conferencing and “face to face” meetings are happening daily in real-time across the world. As an industry that prides itself on having the edge over our adversaries, we are falling below our own standards when it comes to utilizing the technological resources at our availability to their fullest potential.

Global Risk Updates

Global Situation Report - November 2021

Global Situation Report – November 2021

Each issue our global geopolitical partner, Stratfor, provides an in-depth analysis of global incidents via in-house experts, cutting edge technology and through a comprehensive globally sourced network. Here is your summary from the last 30 days.

Popular Tags

armed attack Bodyguard business Celebrity client clients Close Protection Communication cp Crime Elijah Shaw EP Executive Executive Protection firearm firearms government gun Intelligence Law Enforcement Media Medical military News online police Prevention professional protect protection Risk Safety Security SIA Social Media Surveillance Technology terror Terrorism terrorist Threat Training VIP weapon

On The Frontline

Five Methods for Defeating an Active Shooter

At the Point of Crisis

Many of you will have seen the photo of the Dallas shooter outside of the Federal Building. Now ask yourself if this was your Office, School, or House of Worship how prepared would your company or institution be to recognize the signs of trouble as those Federal Officers did and deny access and ultimately defeat the shooter?

The private security industry

Careering-Ending Accident Turns Tragedy into Triumph

Sometimes you have a plan, and then the universe has something different in mind. After almost seventeen years in the private security industry, a little over 3 years ago I decided to start my own security company UPPER ECHELON SERVICES. I was making great progress building the company. Then in June of 2017, I was involved in a motorcycle accident that would change my life forever. I ended up suffering from an irreparable compound break on my right foot and ultimately blowing my heel to dust.

Mystery Shopper – Circuit Q&A

Mystery Shopper – Circuit Q&A Nick McCarthy interviews Linda  Eastwood. Linda, we became ‘friends’ recently via an online networking portal, exchanged a few messages and then met up at a networking meeting. I was very impressed by your story and your success and thought that Circuit Magazine readers would enjoy your story and the somewhat […]

Follow us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

From The Archives

Global Security Events

North America Physical Cyber Convergence Forum Aug 22, 2019. Phoenix, …

Continue Reading about Global Security Events

What's in your GO Bag – Going Digital

What's in your GO Bag - Going Digital   Your Principal has a known stalker that has sent …

Continue Reading about What's in your GO Bag – Going Digital

How to Secure Your Event

Urban threats are becoming increasingly commonplace in today’s modern world. With attacks taking …

Continue Reading about How to Secure Your Event

TRAVEL SECURITY

A New Standard for Travel Security

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an internationally recognized standard for corporate travel risk …

Continue Reading about A New Standard for Travel Security

Promoted Event

International Security Expo

Latest Podcast Episode

Latest Issue

Circuit Magazine - Issue 66 - AI Armageddon

Issue 66

As AI armageddon comes closer, the global challenge is discerning the line between innovation and oversight, particularly concerning decision-making biases and security implications.

Buy Now

Follow us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Subscription
  • The Magazine
  • Podcast
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Circuit Magazine · Rainmaker Platform

This website or its third-party tools use cookies which are necessary to its functioning and required to improve your experience. By clicking the consent button, you agree to allow the site to use, collect and/or store cookies.
I accept