Sam Pfeifle posted this little piece of news on his On the Editor's Desk today.
Basically, the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology reported a heist that targeted pieces of native Canadian artist Bill Reid.
Cameras were in place - but went out (probably disabled) and no-one responded.
Alarms went off - but no-one responded.
The suspect(s?) even used gas masks and "bear spray" in case security responded..
but no-one responded.
The theft wasn't discovered until the shift change the next morning.
I agree with Sam that this sinks of inside involvement - but that's why you plan
overlapping processes and coverage.
Guard service is one of the most difficult aspects of security. There is no easy way to do it properly, which is why more often than not you come across deployments that are not set up to mitigate the likely risks to a site.
When it's done right - there's no substitute for a well trained, staffed and equipped guard force. When it's done wrong - it's more of a liability than anything else.
The lessons here?
Basically, the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology reported a heist that targeted pieces of native Canadian artist Bill Reid.
Cameras were in place - but went out (probably disabled) and no-one responded.
Alarms went off - but no-one responded.
The suspect(s?) even used gas masks and "bear spray" in case security responded..
but no-one responded.
The theft wasn't discovered until the shift change the next morning.
I agree with Sam that this sinks of inside involvement - but that's why you plan
overlapping processes and coverage.
Guard service is one of the most difficult aspects of security. There is no easy way to do it properly, which is why more often than not you come across deployments that are not set up to mitigate the likely risks to a site.
When it's done right - there's no substitute for a well trained, staffed and equipped guard force. When it's done wrong - it's more of a liability than anything else.
The lessons here?
- Plan your officer coverage out fully, overlap processes and systems and keep up with sustained training, supervision and enrichment.
- No matter what kind of systems you have in place. It all boils down to the human who's getting the notification something's wrong and the human's that respond.
