Balancing Perimeter Security and Visitor Management
Thief! Intruder! Birdwatcher? Sometimes, perimeter security puts you in contact with a variety of visitors, not all of them welcome, but how does one differentiate between visitors without making a bad first impression or creating a vulnerable situation? And how does that situation change based on a facility’s location and risk profile? Three security executives weigh in on the issue.
“Perimeters are in place to deter or delay any unauthorized access, whether that’s for theft, damage, graffiti – there are lots of motivations to enter port facilities,” says Dennis Treece, CSO for the Massachusetts Port Authority. “There are non-malicious reasons for trespass too. Sometimes a birdwatcher wants to get closer to the water or a tourist wants a better photo of a plane.” But perimeters have to work for all of them, he says.