School security measures

Our school is in an area that gets a bit rough at night. We've had a lot of vandalism at night and during the holidays, and it costs the school a lot to get the vandalism repaired, so we are upping our security measures. It's very distressing for the entire school community when the school is vandalised, so we are hoping that a combination of key, locks and grilles along with security patrols can help to reduce the rate of vandalism we experience. This blog is all about security measures for schools, and I want it to be a place we can share the measures that work for our schools.

Internal Security: How to Balance Trust and Security in Your Business

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It's important for businesses to take security seriously — and most do. You can now see high-quality CCTV cameras in all different kinds of businesses, from large retail chains to small, independent restaurants, and many businesses take care to install shutters or screens to protect their premises after hours.

However, all this focus on external security, preventing people from breaking in or stealing after hours, is only one half of the problem. Businesses must also consider internal security, protecting their finances and assets from tampering by employees or persistent intruders.

Unfortunately, addressing this problem can sometimes cause friction. It's understandable that employees don't want to be treated as though they are untrustworthy. After all, the vast majority of them are not. These are just preventative measures designed to protect your business — so here are some ideas for implementing internal security that won't alienate your staff.

Internal Locks

There should be locks on the office doors of any executives or high-level managers as a matter of routine. Ideally, these will be individual locks, not universal ones — although it is good practice to keep a master key too. You may also wish to install locks on the doors of your finance and HR departments, as these contain sensitive information which should not be accessed by unauthorised staff. These are already standard in many businesses and should not make staff feel ill-at-ease.

Screen Filters

Another way to protect sensitive information is to install privacy screen filters on key office computers. These filters make it impossible to view the screen unless you're sitting directly in front of it, as a user. This means that nobody will be able to catch a glimpse of an open HR document or salary information as they pass by. Installing these screens does mean that nobody can 'spy' on staff members to make sure they're working, so employees can consider this an expression of trust as well as a security measure.

Extended CCTV

If you do have an existing CCTV system, consider extending it to cover key areas of the office or business. For example, retail locations could install CCTV to keep an eye out behind the checkout point, as well as on the merchandise in-store. In order to allay staff concerns about this, you can emphasise that this protects both the business and staff members equally. For example, if money should happen to go missing from the register, CCTV will be able to prove beyond doubt that a staff member did not take it.

Utilising different features of business security systems is simple with the right ideas and technology — so just be sure to manage how these installations are perceived by your staff. It's vital for morale that the wrong message isn't sent out, as this is really a positive and proactive move, not a defensive or judgmental one.

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29 May 2018