RiskUKAugust2017

Touched By A Physical Presence
Physical security’s
three important
components – namely
access control,
surveillance and
testing – can
sometimes be
overlooked (and their
importance
underestimated) in
favour of more
technical threats
posed to an
organisation by
hacking, malware and
cyber espionage.
Focusing in particular
on the present state of
play in the education
sector, Dave Mundy
discusses what
physical security is
and how it has
progressed before
evaluating ways in
which installers are
providing added value
for their end users
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Currently, there are 8.7 million children in
England attending over 24,000 primary
and secondary schools resident within the
state and independent sectors. That their
security is paramount goes without saying, and
it’s the security industry’s responsibility to face
the challenges of securing schools to the very
highest standards within budgets that those
educational establishments can afford.
The principal purpose of security is the
prevention of unauthorised access. As security
installers, the tools we have at our disposal are
a vast range of access control and perimeter
protection products, from basic card entry
systems through to the most sophisticated
intrusion detection technologies – all of them
designed to manage and control access.
Digital technology also plays its part, of
course, whether in the form of basic CCTV or
rather more futuristic facial recognition
systems, but again with the principal aim of
allowing the good people in and keeping the
bad ones out (while also being able to track
them across a given site).
It’s easy to take for granted how advanced
these systems have become, forgetting a time
in days gone by when so much of physical
security was heavily reliant on manpower. In
fact, the school environment provides a good
example of just how far access control and
CCTV systems have progressed and how new
solutions continue to evolve.
Changing environments
It used to be that anyone could walk into a
school’s grounds and head for reception.
Nowadays, perimeters are more tightly
controlled and, in general, no-one enters a
school’s grounds without authorisation. This is
achieved through turnstiles, electronic gates
and barriers granting access with codes, ID
cards or – in the case of vehicles – via CCTV
incorporating Automatic Number Plate
Recognition functionality.
Physical security of this kind is about
convenience as well as security. For example,
it’s important for schools that gates close
automatically such that parents who arrive with
buggies and other children are given a helping
hand in keeping the school secure.
In school reception areas, visitor and entry
management systems provide fast, userfriendly
and intelligent mechanisms for
authorising access and ensuring the school’s
management team knows exactly who’s on the
premises at any given time.
Systems can pre-register guests, providing
faster access and significantly enhanced
security. For supply agency teachers, for
example, a photograph supplied by the agency
can be used with a unique code to create a
temporary, time-specific and secure ID pass.
Automated systems of this nature reduce the
paperwork and resources required by school
administration staff and ensure that temporary
staff and guests don’t threaten the integrity of
a school’s security.
Systems also allow individuals to sign
themselves in on intuitive touch screens, again
making their ‘journey’ much easier, but without
compromising security. Systems can be
branded to add further value and afford an
impression of a school that takes a professional
approach to safeguarding its pupils and staff.
Data recording and reporting are important
elements of a modern visitor management
system and particularly useful in the event of
an emergency such as a fire outbreak, when
quick access to detail regarding who is or isn’t
present on the premises is imperative.
Systems also need to be flexible. It’s now
common for schools to lease sports and drama
facilities after school hours and, indeed, at
weekends. That being so, any system installed
has to accommodate multiple needs.
Balancing budgets
Whatever we do and whichever systems we
recommend, we have to strike the balance
between safeguarding people and protecting
the public sector purse. A good example of this