Security teams and building designers have long had to deal with an important balancing act. Pedestrian safety is important, but oftentimes it comes at the cost of aesthetics. In addition, with the advent of social distancing, creating pathways for high foot traffic areas is an even greater challenge.
Gates Can Be the Weak Link in Security
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When that chain is part of perimeter fencing, the most vulnerable point may not be where you think. Gates act as more than security equipment, they represent structural safety meant to stop even the largest of threats. While bollards and recessed rising barricades are effective, they just don’t project the outward strength that is immediately captured by a well-constructed and manned gate. Even so, that image can be shattered in short order when a determined assailant decides to take action against private or secured property.
Protecting Pedestrians and Property Amidst Protests
The right to state an opinion is something that many Americans hold dear. When many voices call out in unison, the results can turn into a security nightmare. Even locations where high pedestrian traffic isn’t normally a concern need to have a plan in place to handle massive protests. Local authorities may be in charge of keeping the peace, but there are many steps that professional security teams and designers can take to ensure the safety of people and property under their care. Using both fixed and portable units, any location can be prepared for demonstrations in ways that keep everyone’s safety at the forefront.
The Threat Behind Computerized Vehicles
The idea behind vehicular attacks is simple. Unlike conventional weapons, larger cars and trucks are more ubiquitous, and the potential cost to morale and the population as a whole is high. The main concession is that these transports need to be manned by a person with devious intent. However, the continued computerization of vehicles, as well as the push towards complete autonomous driving, may make this form of improvised ammunition much more effective and dangerous.
Security Challenges of Keeping the Lights On
A nation’s utilities are one of the most integral parts of its infrastructure. Disrupting electricity, natural gas or water can inconvenience, or more threaten, the lives of thousands of citizens. These facilities pose challenges not generally associated with other locations. While cybersecurity is at the forefront of utility protection, these locations still need to be protected from more traditional physical assaults as well.
Portable Barriers Help Make Effective Seclusion Zones
Around the world, governments are trying to protect their citizens from COVID-19. One of the most effective ways is to create seclusion zones to keep people isolated and reduce the risk of spread. Agencies have also set up ad-hoc testing facilities to help determine who is affected, helping to establish quarantine procedures and track how far the illness has spread. In order to control the large amounts of pedestrians and vehicles, many areas are focusing on temporary solutions to traffic control and safety concerns.
COVID-19 Presents a Crowd Control Conundrum
The threat COVID-19 presents has taken many by surprise, illustrating how people have taken parties, office work and even grocery shopping for granted. Because it can easily be spread, the virus has made social distancing the new norm. As seclusionary practices are being enforced throughout the country and the world, security personnel are faced with new challenges in crowd control.
Coronavirus and Mail Safety
When global issues arrive, it pays to be prepared. The coronavirus took the world by storm, forcing employee and citizen seclusion as well as quarantine procedures across the globe. Because many illnesses can be transmitted by touch and tend to live a long while outside of human hosts, the prospect of contagion transmission is perceived to be high. The real question remains: how contagious is COVID-19 via mail and package delivery?
Student Safety and Pedestrian-Friendly Parking
There is no question that societies want to keep schools as safe spaces for education. While violent attacks have risen in the past decades, these don’t account for the entirety of instances where students find themselves in danger. Security designs have focused mainly on interior updates to make schools safer, yet this does little to help stop preventable accidents that occur in campus parking lots. In essence, high-security devices offer much more to schools than keeping violent aggressors at bay.
A Closer Look at Visual Deterrents
Half of the battle against aggressors is pre-planning. Establishing a comprehensive security system before an attack takes place ensures that staff and police are prepared for almost any eventuality. However, constructing or modifying an area to be highly secure without looking like a fortress is a challenge every architect faces, especially in locales where looks mean everything.