PERIMETER SECURITY
It cannot be stressed enough that any product or system protecting critical infrastructure and people must always be fully operational and be available to work if and when required. Paul Jeffrey, chairman of the PSSA, looks at the importance of accreditation for entry point control
THERE IS MORE TO ENTRY POINT CONTROL THAN BARRIERS W
ith the heightened threat levels and the general awareness of security, we are seeing wide reaching changes in attitudes towards perimeter protection from secure fencelines and perimeter intrusion detection to entry point control using Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM). Many sites, especially critical infrastructure, are securing their perimeters and creating a hardened stand off area for improved protection against attacks. Unfortunately, while awareness of threat changes are undoubtably a positive, there are elements of the reactions to changes which are often excessive and at times ill-conceived. This is because the reactions can be knee-jerk and consequently do not follow a proper process of assessment of what protection is needed, or why and how it can be properly implemented. Most of the best practice process is detailed in standards IWA-14.2:2013 (Security Barriers – Application) and IWA-14.1:2013 (Security Barriers – Performance). However, without the right partners (consultants, manufacturer, installer) the process will be difficult to complete satisfactorily.
THREAT ASSESSMENT Before embarking on any proposal for the implementation of entry point control, it is essential that there is a full understanding and quantification of the threat, including the assets under threat, stand off needed to protect those assets, consequential risk (collateral damage) and possibilities for passive mitigation designs. Detailed threat assessments are usually very complex and require a large amount of experience and knowledge to be completed satisfactorily. As the initial assessment is the cornerstone of the design of any entry point control, it is always recommended that expert consultants are used to carry out this function and they will follow the principles set out in IWA-14.2 2013 (Security Barriers – Application) which superceded the PAS69 standard. It is more common than you would expect for a high security system to be installed on an entry point with no consideration being given to a remote exit point leading to the same critical assets and these projects have invariably missed this vital step in the design process or have used inexperienced or unqualified consultants. E
ISSUE 37 | COUNTER TERROR BUSINESS MAGAZINE
31
