Protection Plan

Protection of life and individual property traditionally was left to individual tribes who utilized personal weapons, manmade barriers, fortifications and walls. However presently technological advancement has drastically transformed methods through which security groups perform their responsibilities. Additionally, security has taken numerous turns with experts coming with models of implementing security in order to protect property and life. This document will provide the best practices relating to setting up a protection plan. 

Layers of protection can be tested through Layers of protection analysis or LOPA. LOPA refers to a powerful tool used for assessing the sufficiency of protection layers that are utilized to mitigate risk (Summers, 2005). LOPA creates good process hazards analysis practices, utilizing semi-qualitative measures to evaluate the imminence of potential incidents and possibility of failure of protection layers. The security teams could utilize LOPA through several major processes:

1. Recording every reference documentation  inclusive of hazard analysis documentation, protection layer design manuscripts, inspection reports et cetera
2. Documenting the deviation process along with hazard scenario by the security team
3. Locating every initiating cause of the deviation process in addition to evaluating the frequency of every initiating cause.   
4. Determining the hazard scenario consequence: this includes the evaluation of safety, economic along with environmental losses.

Once the security team understands the frequency along with outcome of probable hazards, a risk matrix should be designed to examine whether the risk is acceptable (Summers, 2005). LOPA help to determine the safeguards which attain the independent protection layer or IPL.

Natural barriers comprise of cliffs, rivers, mountains or additional terrain that impede penetration. These barriers provide free protection and the security teams can utilize that advantage when designing a protection plan, however, their porous nature should be ignored since this assumption may provide penetration for an intruder. Protection requires the erection of structural barriers which refer to manmade devices which includes fences, roofs, walls, grills or additional manmade structures in order to deter penetration (Fay, 2011). If a natural barrier exists on one side of a section of the perimeter its dependability should be assessed to determine its protection and if necessary an additional structural barrier requires to be erected. These barriers however differ from one property to another, for instance an army barracks and an apartment would have different structural barriers.

Psychological deterrence takes various forms. For instance, the existence of security guards at the entrance of a property poses a psychological challenge to an intruder; this in their mind reduces the chances of success. An additional psychological deterrence is a fence, helps the security teams better control of access within the perimeter of the property (Fay, 2011). This is because a single entry directs the flow of persons and vehicles via designated entry points. If a property owns such animals as dogs their presence offers a further psychological deterrence to intruders.

Technology provides the best method to offer protection. This can be used by the security personnel or placed at strategic point of the property in order for detecting any security breaches (Fay, 2011). Firstly, sensors detect any penetration of boundary, mysterious presence inside or near a protected object or zone. CCTV cameras are placed strategically at various points of the property to capture the images of any intruders sending the image to the monitoring screens to alert the security teams. Alarms are additional technological protection devices which when tripped produce a sound alerting the security teams or other persons.  

References

Fay, J. (2011). Contemporary Security Management. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinmann

Summers, A. (2005). Introduction to layer of protection analysis. Retrieved from https://www.jlab.org/accel/ssg/safety/LAYER%20OF%20PROTECTION%20ANALYSIS.pdf