Security Issues in Various Public Places - Report Example

Running Head: SECURITY ISSUES Security Issues in Various Public Places Nowadays, human security has been a worldwide phenomenal concern. Threats to the safety of the people, such as terrorism and other unwanted attacks, had brought about this sensation over security. Unlike the previous decades, security today has been tighter and more intensive. Before it is uncommon to see bomb-sniffing dogs roaming in public places and metal detectors in schools; however today, these are already part of the norms for precaution and protection. The following discussions will examine the security employed in three different public places, namely, airports, banks, and work places. Security in Airports Airports serve as gateways for people to reach different places. Thousands of people go to the airport and work for the airport everyday that is why it is a must that airports are secured and safe. Airports are one of the places which practice heavy security inspection (FWAO, 2006). Every area of the airport has security inspections. Upon entrance, most airports will already have metal detectors and x-ray scanners for the baggage. Recent development in technology enables airport security to have a human scan similar to an x-ray baggage scan wherein all metals and explosives can be detected (TSA, 2008). Some of these scanners are the backscatter x-ray and Compton x-ray. After being thoroughly inspected, the airport passengers check-in their baggage. After checking in the baggage, passengers again undergo a more rigid inspection. Body search and metal detectors are again used (Airsafe). This is the last security inspection before leaving the airport. In the US, fingerprinting is now being practiced. They also use smartcard readers. Smartcard technology is an additional security device used in US airports to ensure all the passengers have a record in the system (FWAO, 2006). Together with the fingerprinting, they can name all the passengers and in case of attacks, they can trace the culprits using the finger prints. Aside from these security checkpoints, most airports are equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV). These are being monitored all day round. Airport security personnel are very diverse. Some of the most common security personnel are the airport police, some local or area police, military men, police dogs and bomb specialists, and airport security. Aside from these security personnel, airports have immigration officers who check the identity of the entering passengers. All of these personnel work together ensuring the safety of the people inside the airport (Airsafe). According to TSA (2008), different areas or sections of the airport possess high risk in security, examples of which are the restaurants and concessionaire in the airports. The employees of those concessionaires can freely enter and exit the airport grounds. Furthermore, they are not subject to intensive security screening. Another loophole has to do with connecting flights. Passengers may not have been thoroughly screened in the previous airports. Moreover, they are free from inspection during connecting flights. In some airports, non-travelling companions may still enter the airport up until the check-in baggage counters. These people are not usually inspected. Airsafe (n.d.) suggests that all employees of the concessionaires undergo a rigid security check before entering the airport. Moreover, the employee’s criminal background should also be checked by the employers and the airport officials should have access to these records. It is also advisable to keep airport concessionaire employees and other airport employees as regular employees rather than hiring them on contractual basis. Hiring contractual or seasonal employees will require more resources for background checking and is more risky because employees come and go. Passengers who are in a connecting flight should be inspected again by the connecting airport. This is to ensure that the passenger does not possess any threat to the connecting airport and the end-receiving airport. Inspected passengers should no longer be allowed to roam free in all vicinity of the airport. Passengers who are already inspected should be situated in one area. All airports should no longer allow non-travelling companions inside the premise of the airport to avoid too many people within the area. It is more difficult to track and secure many people than a smaller crowd. And if non-travelling individuals enter the premise of the airport, they should also be inspected and searched (Airsafe). Security in Banks Banks are high-riske public places because of the valuable things found within it. Many people place their money and other valuable possessions in banks for they believe that banks can be the safest place for these valuables. However, according to Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, in 2001, 2.4 percent of the robbery in the United States is bank robbery (FBI). Considering these reasons, banks execute tight security procedures. The following section illustrates the security measures that banks implement. All banks are mandated by law to have at least one security officer (NDBA, 2005). The security officer is the overall personnel in-charge of the security and safety of the bank. He/she devices programs and suggests equipments to ensure the bank’s security. Banks should have special programs for their security officer to maintain the loyalty of the officers to them (NDBA, 2005). Security officers are deemed to be key personnel in a bank; therefore they should be given additional incentives. Moreover, security officers should realize that they are vital to the bank and that their actions affect the over-all security of the banks. Security devices such CCTVs, security vaults, and burglar alarms are some of the basic equipments used by banks (FBI). CCTVs monitor all the transactions and actions of people inside the bank. Ideally, CCTVs should always be recorded, not just simply being monitored. However, due to memory problems, some banks do a selective recording (NDBA, 2005). Evidently, this selecting recording possesses some risks because not all of the events can be reviewed. Moreover, some banks only put CCTVs inside the vault, outside the vault, and in the customer area. NDBA (2005) recommends putting CCTVs in the parking areas and other areas. The purpose of this is to track all the plate numbers of the cars. In case of robbery, the parked cars can give a lead. NDBA (2005) further suggests that the windows and glasses should be free from any outside obstruction, allowing people from the outside to have a glimpse what is going on inside the bank. In case of robbery or any threat, outside people will know. Money does not stay in the banks. There are two main reasons why money is being transferred to different places. One of the reasons is to avoid over-crowding of money and another reason is the law by the Central Bank to deposit some amount of money for bank security and stability. During transport of money, banks use highly specialized armoured vehicles. These vehicles are highly secured. Aside from the driver, there are armed security officers present during the transportation process (NDBA 2005). Some banks have specialized and additional security such as special inspections for packages, metal detectors, and others. Some banks prohibited the use of cellular phones while the customers or client is inside the premise of the bank. For additional security, banks should reassess the areas that can be used by clients and third-party such as the restrooms (NDBA, 2005). Security in Stores Shoplifting, theft, and pilferage are the common threats faced by different kinds of stores. These threats may not pose danger to human lives, but these threats are hazardous to the profitability of these businesses. Aside from these problems, stores are public areas which can also be targets for terrorist attacks. Before the Omaha 2007 shooting, shopping malls and stores are neglected and not given priority in terms of security (Davis, 2008). Most shopping centers make use of CCTVs and/or convex mirrors to monitor shop activities. Like other public places, CCTVs are important in shopping centers for surveillance of customers and of employees. In this way, not only shoplifting and thefts are monitored, but as well as the performance of the employees. Small stores, who cannot afford to install a CCTV system, opt to use convex mirrors. Although convex mirrors are more difficult to monitor and capture less of the store activities, it is still an effective tool to minimize shoplifting (Rutgers University). Shopping malls and shops avoid metal detectors because this security measure might affect the number of people who shop (Safety issues). Some shoppers do not like the idea of having metal detectors in shopping areas because it gives them a sense of restriction and makes them feel that they are entering an airport. With this, store owners and shopping mall managers opt to provide more unarmed security personnel that roam around the area. The Safety Issues Website (n.d) suggests that mall security and the security personnel of stores inside malls work hand-in-hand. If these security personnel do not cooperate, chances are crimes can still occur. Aside from human security personnel, some malls employ bomb-sniffing dogs for detection of explosives. Usually, this is being done by mall and store management during peak seasons wherein there is a huge volume of people shopping and the threat of unwanted attacks is high (Safety issues). Although metal detectors are avoided in shopping stores, bar code readers and detectors are heavily employed by stores. Usually these detectors are found in the entrance of each store to prevent shoplifting. Moreover, in apparel stores, plastic merchandising tags wherein, the tag will only be removed by the cashier upon payment. Thus, even if the apparel is successful taken out of the store, the shoplifter will have difficulty in removing the tag. The only way to remove the tag is to use the tag remover in the cashier or cut the tag leaving the apparel damaged (Safety issues). Rutgers University’s School of Criminal Justice (n.d.) suggests minimizing the number of entrances in shopping malls to better manage the security. More entrance means more security to maintain and this most of the time results to less quality of the security procedures. Moreover, there should be no dead ends in the malls wherein robbery and hold-ups can be accomplished. In addition, Rutgers University’s School of Criminal Justice also recommends that parking areas be well-lighted. Dark parking areas could entice criminals to do crimes such as car knapping or stealing of parts, among others. Moreover, during peak seasons, malls should add more patrolling security to make sure the shoppers are safe inside the mall. Analysis Security is a huge issue in every institution. A secured area can be synonymous with a safe area. The above discussions tackled the security measures employed in three different public places—airport, banks, and shopping stores. Among these three, airports implement heavy security measure because of the volume of human lives in the airports everyday. Shopping malls and stores are now being closely monitored because of some devastating incidents. Heightened security measures are now implemented in many stores. Like many of the public places, CCTVs are common in the three places discussed. CCTVs, although costly and difficult to maintain, are of great help to these institution. CCTVs allow security officials to monitor all the activities in the areas. Background check for the employees is also required in three discussed public places, with exception to the concessionaire in airports. Metal detectors are used in airports and banks, while a similar device, bar code reader or detectors are used in stores to detect shoplifted materials. Very evident commonality is the presence of security personnel. However, different degrees of security personnel are found in the three public places. For instance, mall security officers are usually light-armed or total unarmed because armed security may scare shoppers. On the other hand, banks and airports have highly specialized and armed security for best protection. Different threats are experienced by different public places; thus some of the security measures are different and specialized. For instance, bank robbery is the main hazard to banks. In this light, security vaults are common in banks. In airport, security vaults are not present. However, since the main threat in airports is explosives and other restricted materials, x-ray scanners are being used in airports. In shopping malls, shoplifting is the main problem, thus strict surveillance of the CCTVs are needed. Bomb-sniffing dogs and security personnel such as the local police can be seen roaming around airports and malls because of the threat of terrorism. On the other hand, banks have security officers stationed in their respective posts. Some suggestions on improving the security of the three places tackled are mentioned above. Following those suggestions does not guarantee a safer environment for these places. However, it may definitely lessen the threats in these places. Moreover, the personnel of these places should realize that security does not only focus on physical security and safety. Security also includes virtual security such as internet banking, online shopping, and airport software systems, among others. These areas should also be given priority in terms of security. References Airsafe. (n.d). Airport Security. Airsafe. Retreived from http://www.airsafe.com/issues/security.htm . Accessed on 14 January 2009. Davis, R. C. (2008). Shopping malls: Are they prepared to prevent and respond to attack?. National Institute of Justice 259. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). (n.d.). Bank Robbery in the United States. FBI Special Report. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_02/html/web/specialreport/05-SRbankrobbery.html. Accessed on 14 January 2009. Northern Dakota Bankers Association (NDBA). (2005). Standing together against financial fraud. Bank Robbery and Security, NDBA Newsletter 5. Retrieved from http://www.ndba.com/for_bankers/communications/bankrobbery&security_newsletter.pdf . Accessed on 14 January 2009. Rutgers University-School of Criminal Justice. (n.d). Tips for keeping malls safe. Retreived from http://crimeprevention.rutgers.edu/topics/malls/tipsmallsafe.htm . Accessed on 14 January 2009. Safety Issues. (n.d). How do we protect shopping malls?. Retrieved from http://www.safetyissues.com/site/holidays/how_do_we_protect_shopping_malls.html . Accessed on 14 January 2009. Transport Security Administration (TSA). (2008). Travel Assistant. Retrieved from http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/index.shtm . Accessed on 14 January 2008. United States Subcommittee on Federal Workforce and Agency Organization (FWAO). (2006). Travel Vs. Terrorism, United States Subcommittee on Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, Washington D.C. Read More