Security Parameters Set in Place to Mitigate Human Threats

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Abstract

This project attempts to analyze the characteristics of security parameters and their accompanying effects to the law abiding citizens. Establishment of modern security measures has been known to cause some impacts in the society. On the governing body’s perspective, the impacts of these parameters have been considered to be all positive.

However, there are also some negative impacts these security measures may have on the citizens, especially the law abiding ones who form the majority. If these impacts are overlooked, they may slowly cause a kind of domino effect in which innocent civilians will continue to lose their lives.

This work also tries to crystallize the components of a security system so that the correct framework is analyzed. The crystallization and analysis of this framework helps in identifying the loopholes which may end up affecting innocent civilians negatively.

The report tries to explain how security controls against human threats can save lives of innocent civilians. This is because a good number of civilians have been prevented from perishing by the process of establishing these frameworks and even after the control structures have been established.

International criminal activities involving terrorists have also been discussed in this paper. Control measures aimed at preventing domestic and international security threats have been put in place by many countries including the U.S.

It should be noted that most citizens who are targets of international criminal activities come from the first class countries which are the economic powerhouse of the world. Thus, it is recommended that more studies should be done in this area so that the governments and the public can get enough information appropriately.

Introduction

Security issues have continued to dominate the modern world as countries strive to protect their citizens against natural and human attacks. Hardly can a day pass without this issue being discussed across a section of the mainstream media. The public is warned more frequently on imminent attacks which may be detrimental to their welfare.

Governments have stepped up their efforts to reduce the impacts of security threats and risks to their citizens. The United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are good examples of countries which have been involved in campaigns that continually warn their citizens to either prepare or desist from going into hot spots of terrorism activities.

Travel advisories have often been given to citizens of particular countries who are considered to be the main targets of terrorism activities. International and domestic terrorism activities have escalated in a way that has caused the U.S government to act with speed.

Other security threats include natural threats such as flooding, typhoons and hurricanes, earthquakes and heavy snow fall among others. They are natural security threats because they are caused by nature and can result into damage of property and loss of human lives although they are not covered in this paper.

All the measures aimed at reducing or preventing the impacts of human threats such as terrorism have not been fully effective as far as the innocent public is concerned. We are still faced with problems like mistaken identities, the stray police bullet and deaths caused by violent activities of armed robbers.

However, the benefits of intensive security still outnumber the negative effects since security issues are concerned with life and death. Therefore, the security parameters set in place to mitigate or overcome human threats are worth the hassle they cause to the law abiding citizens.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of this project is to sensitize the public both locally and internationally to adhere to security control parameters which enhance their safety. The work tries to refute claims by critics who are against these particular security control measures. Law enforcers in both the public and the private sector are advised on the framework of security control measures which can be helpful in their duties.

Literature Review

The literature review in this project report comes from diverse sectors. Some of the sources come from government security agencies and other civil organizations. Web sources are mainly those concerned with the transport sector, to be specific, air transport. Other sources include journals and magazines that deal with topics covering security issues.

Methodology

Methods of executing this project are mainly literary based. All the main topics are specifically original ideas which have been supported by literary evidence. The literature review has been used to briefly analyze some major aspects of security issues especially in the transport sector.

Different methods of security operations have been critically analyzed for the purpose of easy comprehension. Main security issues have been elucidated and their challenges crystallized in order to find easier and more acceptable solutions.

Analysis

The main analyses in this report are done especially in the transport sector. This is because the transport industry is a major target for human threats such as terrorism activities. The analysis is mainly literature based with no tabulations of data.

Also the analysis of methods of security operations, with brief discussions of negative and positive effects of particular operations, is done thereby providing clues on certain remediation measures.

Expected Results

The expected results of some particular analyses are primarily to deal with the positive response to security operations by the public and also minimize the negative impacts of security operations. It should be noted that the report only analyzes security operations due to human threats. The natural threats are only highlighted in specific areas.

Overview of Natural and Human Security Threats

Natural threats include those natural phenomena that are not preventable by physical security parameters. They are caused by nature and thus can greatly affect security operations because they may require that preventive and protective measures should be intensified. They may also require that the effectiveness of existing security parameters, be reduced (Integrated Publishing, 2010).

Examples include flooding, snowfalls, hurricanes and earthquakes among others. In the U.S, hurricanes are more common and they can cause flooding of installation which results in damage to property. They can also destroy perimeter barriers and cause short circuiting of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS).

This can be detrimental to the unsuspecting public who may be innocently killed by these natural phenomena. Visibility can also be reduced by heavy precipitation which can further cause accidents on the major highways. Earthquakes can trigger fires from broken gas pipes

On the other hand, human security threats are those threats which have been caused by human beings. They include such threats like pilferage, sabotage, espionage, bombing, attacks on key persons, carelessness and accidents when performing official duties, disloyalty of workers, safety hazards from equipment failure, Human Intelligence Threat (HUMIT) among others.

The above security threats can have a lot of negative effects to human beings. Disruption of installation facility, damage to property, personal injury or loss of life and compromise of defense information are just some of the negative effects of security threats.

It should also be noted that the intensity of the threat depends on many factors such as the geographic location, the working protection measures, existing legislature and stability of the situation among many others.

National Structure of Security Controls

National security of a country is the requirement of a nation to sustain the survival by using her military power. The country can also use her economic power combined with politics to ensure that security is enhanced within her borders and her international interests.

Thus, the main structures of the national security are built on the framework which comprises of economy, politics and military. The above three are just the pillars of national security whereby many other facets of national security are also built on the three pillars.

It becomes very crucial for the three pillars above to be stable so that national security is enhanced. Should one of the pillars fail, it will be quite detrimental to the stability of security framework. Political structures have to be stabilized, the military has to be stable, and the economy has to attain a threshold level of stability necessary to ensure that there is no lapse in national security.

That is why many states have experienced security lapse due to loopholes in the security framework. The police are needed to maintain law and order in within the borders while the military protects the citizens against international invasion.

Money is needed to maintain the other pillars of national security. Therefore, one cannot work without the other two. Politics involves formulation of legislature that aim at protecting citizens of the country.

It is worth noting that security threats are not only the conventional foes like nations. Security threats also involve non-state actors such as terrorism activities by individuals and organizations, narcotic cartels and multinational organizations. Natural hazards also fall into this category. These natural hazards can cause severe damage to the environment thereby affecting the welfare of the public.

Security Surveillance

Security surveillance is a system which is set to monitor the behavior or proceedings of particular activities concerning people in order to prevent or reduce the impact of a risk. The system observes people so that it becomes easier to control certain misconducts. Security surveillance acts as a control measure to reduce risks.

It also reduces the probability of criminal activities because the systems instill some fear factors on the criminals’ minds. There are so many forms of security surveillance. Due to advancement in technological input in security matters, most surveillance by human beings has bee transformed to digital surveillance. Thus, one can expect to find CCTV cameras instead of the normal police guard on duty in many buildings nowadays.

However, these surveillance cameras may still need human backing so that real security issues can be tackled. The surveillance cameras have been quite effective in monitoring hot spots for criminal activities. It should be noted that security surveillance by cameras may not be effective in areas where personal surveillance by individual security personnel is required.

Security in the Domestic Perspective

A country has the mandate to enhance and intensify the security levels within her borders. Standard security measures have got to be established so that the citizens of that particular country can feel protected and free. Thus, a certain threshold level of security will stir up economic growth and development since people are free and they can run their businesses without fear.

It must be noted, however that when security levels are intensified beyond the normal levels, it can cause freedom of the normal citizen to be compromised.

This is because increase in suspicion by the security patrols leads to a corresponding fear of, for example, traveling. In the domestic scene, security can have various effects in different environments. The transport industry, buildings, homes and the economy are some of the sectors which are adversely affected whenever security matters arise.

Security in the Transport Sector

Whenever security matters are mentioned, the transport industry is one of the most affected sectors because transport is the backbone of many economic activities in a democracy.

Most terrorist activities revolve around hijacking motor vehicles, sea going vessels, airplanes, trains and public shuttles. Airports and railway terminus have also been hijacked or attacked by criminals. Thus it is an undisputable fact that the transport sector is one of the main targets of terrorism activities.

The government and the private sectors have been involved in enhancing and intensifying security to protect their interests. In the private sector, for example, many transportation and shipping companies have been reported to hire security services to escort their consignment. The government has also been reported to beef up highway security patrols, airport security and even security in the seas.

Security in the Air

Airport security screening has intensified of late due to the various terrorist attacks on major airliners. Security at the airports has been influenced a lot by the September 11 attack in 2001.

The use of screening in the terminals ensures that, no foreign object considered to cause harm to passengers on board, gets access into the plane. There are so many methods used nowadays in ensuring that passengers board, travel and disembark from a plane safely.

Passengers traveling in a plane can be screened or frisked to ensure that no one boards the plane with harmful objects. It should be noted that only ticketed passengers are allowed beyond the screening point (Airsafe, 2010). The current minimized breech of security experienced in airports is attributed to intensified screening and pat downs in the airport.

This is because there are a couple of things which are not supposed to be carried into a plane. However, screening and frisking passengers at the airports has been met by various criticisms. Some passengers argue that it is below the moral standards to have someone go through a complete body scan because this scan reveals their body outline.

Frisking has also caused major concerns because the process involves touching a person’s private body parts, which makes it quite uncomfortable to many passengers.

These are however not enough reasons to stop the security process since the repercussions of not frisking and not screening passengers are far reaching. It is better to be frisked so that one’s safety is ensured than not to pass through the hassle with an unsecured safety. Compromise of security is quite not an option in the airports.

Recent Advancement of Security at the Airports

Terrorism activities in airports have led to advancement in technological input in airport security. Currently, there are special gadgets which scan the entire body for any suspicious object. The Advanced Imaging Technology machine has a private kind of approach to passengers intending to board a flight.

The scan is carried out by the TSA thus sparking a lot of controversies. The advantage of this technology to the older one is that the new technology can detect both metallic and nonmetallic objects that can form components of an explosive device (Ali, 2010).

The method works in a way that the computer used is independent from a network. The person moves into a private compartment whereby their entire body is screened. The image of the person is then viewed in a remote place by a security official. The next body scan can only be complete once the previous image has been deleted from the system.

The main controversy of this process comes in the area of its private invasion. Since the entire outline of the passenger’s body is viewed, some people find it uncomfortable. However, those who are not comfortable with the complete body scanner do receive a pat-down, a process which also has its own controversy.

The essence is that some method of screening has to be used to ensure safety of passengers on board a flight. Although there are some people who are against this screening process, many Americans are rising up in support of a more thorough and intimate screening methods at the airports.

The controversy surrounding TSA pat downs is related to the invasive approach. Pat downs include touching of the hips, the groin and other private body parts which also makes some people to be quite uncomfortable. The seriousness of more rigorous and more personal security checks has risen to the level whereby one can be fined if they refuse to undergo a complete body scan.

Security in the Seas

The shipping industry has currently been faced with the problem of dealing with pirates in the sea. Piracy incidents have increased lately thereby affecting the sea trade and maritime security in the open seas.

Many oil tankers have become targets for pirates especially in the Phillips Channel off Singapore and at the Horn of Africa (Alexander & Richardson, 2009). This has prompted the owners of these vessels together with the government to hire private security services so as to protect ships and shipping lanes from pirates.

Many governments have been forced to hire private security firms to protect their ships and their coast lines in order to secure their state-owned high-risk maritime assets. Security forces have also been trained to deal with maritime piracy. An example of this instance is the Hart security which was hired in 2002 after the attack on the Limburg tanker in Yemeni waters.

The Hart security personnel trained the Yemeni Navy so that they can acquire skills related to waterborne antiterrorist tactics (Harwood, 2010). In the United States sea ports, the government has stepped up security to prevent any foreign invasion.

Coast guard patrol has proved to be essential especially in tackling criminal activities such as terrorism. The security details are often involved in security operations at the coast and in sea going vessels in order to enhance security to the citizens.

Security on the Highways

Highway security is essential for both people and consignment. Many consignments have been lost due to criminal activities along the highways. The government has moved in to provide security patrols and security escorts. Bridge and tunnel security is also essential in this aspect. Civil engineers have been asked to design and build bridges which will cope with the challenge of rising insecurity along the highways.

In the U.S, there have been rising threats against tunnels and other highway infrastructure. The vulnerability of existing highway structures is being investigated by civil engineers who are also trying to identify the methods of reducing this vulnerability. Critical highway assets are being identified and action is being taken so that their vulnerability is reduced (The Blue Ribbon Panel on Bridge and Tunnel Security, 2003).

It is not uncommon to find police checkpoints along the highways. Some motorists find this exuberating thereby criticizing the security check process. Again, considering the negative impacts highway robbery has to motorists, the security check is worth the hassle since it provides the motorists with acceptable security standards.

Highway insecurity has also caused the economy a lot of losses because the transportation companies are forced to pay for the extra costs which are in turn transferred to the final consumer.

Security in Railway Transport

Security is also a key issue in the railway sector. This is because railway lines are involved in transporting people and goods over long distances. Thus there are quite a number of risks involved in this sector. Terrorists are known to ambush passenger and cargo trains while they are on transit.

Security details in the railway transport is however not profound because rail freight requires less personnel and does not face much competition like the competition in road and air travel (The Stationary Office, 2008). A railway network is not quite as open as the road network. This is because railway terminals are fitted with CCTV cameras and are also subject to secure fencing to enhance security.

The personnel for rail freight are usually not outsourced internationally. They are citizens of the country, a factor which contributes to safety in this sector. Thus the recruitment of personnel is much less stringent than in other transport sectors.

One of the reasons for less security in the rail freight is because if security in this sector is intensified, it would result in extra costs which will be transferred to the consumer. Thus, it will begin to face more competition from other forms of transport thereby killing the industry.

Security in Buildings

Buildings are also another target for terrorist activities. The September 11^th 2001 attack on the twin towers is a perfect example. The terrorist attacks on buildings in Nairobi and Dar e Salaam in August, 1998 have also been good examples to reiterate the fact that buildings have got to be secured and protected from terrorist activities.

It is due to this fact that most buildings have been well equipped with security facility as a counter measure to terrorist activities. CCTV cameras and robots have been used to investigate many security issues in buildings.

Other buildings also require the usual screening at their entrances. It has now become quite common to see long queues at the entrance to buildings in front of a screening facility. The use of closed circuit television (CCTV) is quiet effective in that it has improved employee efficiency at the work place thereby increasing productivity (Fennelly, 2004).

Security at the Shopping Centers

Shopping centers are also common targets for terrorism activities due to the large number of people. Some past surveys reveal that over 60 terrorist attacks have been executed against shopping centers in 21 countries (LaTourrette et al. 2009). Many shopping center operators have considered evaluation of redemptive measures of such attacks.

There is little or no security check ups at all in shopping centers. Hence shopping centers operators have to find ways to reduce terrorism risk since the security in shopping centers is based mainly on deterrence. It is quite difficult to implement security operations in shopping centers because some shoppers may not like the idea of being screened while some will like the idea of shopping in a safe place.

Security At Home

The security of homes is quite different from the national security because the main stakeholder is the owner of the home. Home owners usually install some kind of alarm systems which help to enhance security in their homes. These alarms are meant to alert people of an invasion by criminals hence prompt them to act accordingly. The alarms also cause some fear to a would-be intruder when they find out its existence.

Alarms which are monitored by a company are much more effective because they ensure a quick response by the monitoring company’s personnel even if one is incapacitated (Buleen, 2010). In addition to the above, security alarms protect one against burglary and theft. Although some people have protested against the noise they make when they are activated, their advantages still outweigh their disadvantages by far.

Security in the International Scene

In the international perspective, security issues are more serious because they involve immigrants who are also non citizens. This is done in the U.S for the sole purpose of government accountability. In the international aspects, immigrants are usually forced to pass through an onerous process so that they secure a visa before traveling into the country.

The presence of illegal immigrants justifies this process because it is the policy of the federal government to document every individual living in the U.S. The borders of the U.S have also been intensified with security surveillance to prevent entry into the country of smugglers, illegal aliens, contraband, and illegal narcotics (GAO, 2006).

Smugglers and narcotics can cross the borders with harmful goods and sell them to citizens of the U.S. that is why any person crossing the border must pass through a rigorous security check up before they are allowed to step into the U.S soil. Since the process does not discriminate citizens and non citizens of the U.S, law abiding citizens are also among those who pass through this process.

Although they may find it discriminating, the process is still worth it. Considering the effects of lack of border patrols, one can conclude that the frisking and rigorous security checks at the border are worth it.

This is because the process prevents the entry of terrorists and their instruments of terror, illegal immigrants and contraband while facilitating the legal flow of people, goods and services which sustain economic growth of the country.

Travel Warnings

Travel warnings are offered to American citizens to prevent them from going into areas that the government considers unsafe for its citizens. The country in question is considered unstable or dangerous. A travel warning can also be issued when the U.S government is unable to process travel documents to that particular country because American Embassies in that country have been closed.

Travel warnings are issued to ensure that innocent Americans are not trapped in a quagmire of dangerous activities which may lead to their harm. Americans can also be advised not to travel in certain parts of a particular country. Examples of reasons why travel warnings are given to particular countries include civil war, unstable government, intense criminal activities involving violence and frequent attacks by terrorists.

The Role of Information Sharing in Counterterrorism

Information is a crucial element in tackling the problem of terrorism in the country. The federal government has formulated and implemented policies which have increased information sharing and coordination of operations throughout the FBI, the police force and other law enforcing communities.

It is not uncommon to find people being questioned on certain issues so that the FBI can obtain particular information on matters concerned with security. Some innocent members of the public may have found themselves in the hands of the law enforcers answering private questions and sharing confidential information to them.

For these reasons, some members of the public will criticize this as infringing on their right to privacy. However, for the purpose of national security, these operations are quite beneficial if critically viewed on a national perspective.

A systematic approach to the development, procurement and use of information-based counterterrorism programs is crucial especially if their full value is to be obtained. The department of homeland security and other law enforcers should adopt a framework which will aid them in their decision making process when tackling security problems.

This will increase operational effectiveness and increase political support for its programs (NRC, 2008). Security operations which are independent from other organizations will be quite effective if the law enforcers are to share important information with the public.

Recommendations and Conclusion

Security is an important issue of concern to the government and its people. Without security a nation is headed to collapse because it will be prone to invasions, domestic criminal activities and terrorist attacks.

Security is essential because it is an important pillar of sustainable economic growth together with politics and the economy itself. It is worth noting that there are two types of security. Natural, this cannot be prevented by physical means, and human security whose causes and remediation measures are both human made.

National security operations are usually accompanied with public outcries which protest at their methods and how they treat the law abiding citizens. It should be noted that such operations have to involve the government and its citizens so that they become successful. During this process some members of the public who are law abiding and legitimate citizens may find themselves trapped in the net of the law enforcers.

On an individual perspective, this is quite demoralizing because it infringes on their rights. On a wider national perspective, although it infringes on the individual rights, how the individual will be treated at the end of the security operations will justify the security operations. That is why one is given a chance to sue the law enforcers at will.

Reference List

Alexander, Y., & Richardson, T. (2009). Terror on the High Seas: From Piracy to Strategic Challenge. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Ali, U. (2010). Body Scans in Store for Some Travelers. Web.

Airsafe (2010). Airport Security Issues. Web.

Buleen, C. (2010). Alarm Systems Benefits. Web.

Fennelly, L. (2004). Effective Physical Security. Oxford: Elsevier-Butterworth-Heinemann.

GAO (2006). Border Security: Key Unresolved Issues Justify Reevaluation Of Border Surveillance Technology Program.

Harwood, M. (2010). Security Management: Private Security Companies Move to the High Seas. Web.

Integrated Publishing (2010). The World in Motion, Natural Security Threats. Web.

LaTourrette et al. (2009). Reducing Terrorism Risk at Shopping Centers: An Analysis of Potential Security Options. Web.

NRCl (2008). Committee on Technical And Privacy Dimensions Of Information For Terrorism Prevention And Other Goals. New York: National Academies Press.

The Blue Ribbon Panel on Bridge and Tunnel Security (2003). Recommendations for Bridge and Tunnel Security. Pennsylvania: DIANE Publishing,

The Stationary Office (2008). Transport security: traveling without fear, oral and written evidence, Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee, Incorporating HCP 1085, Session 2005-06 and HCP 96, Session 2006-07.

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