Intrepid Security consider the ‘physical versus electronic security’ dilemma.
It’s very interesting for us, when we install a system and the customer has had feedback on its effectiveness, whether the equipment is doing its job, which is after all, (and many people forget this) a deterrent, not a magic cure-all. It is optimistic to presume that either EAS tagging or some form of CCTV will be 100 per cent effective in all cases, but there are industry figures, I’m sure, stating the sort of margin a client can expect to improve his losses with the introduction of electronic security. The argument of physical against electronic is surely hypothetical, because cannot replace the other, but in certain circumstances is there as reinforcement for a particular aspect.
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For example, in the case of a store with both tagging and CCTV, Robin Annis, who runs a company called Approved Security, providing guards to some of our EAS and CCTV customers, tells me that guards are frequently requested because the staff is suffering attacks, both verbal and physical. You could say then that the management is solely protecting its staff with the guard presence. However, this also has the effect of reinforcing the message that there is an awareness by the management of general security issues – not only protecting the merchandise, but providing a ‘safe’ place for genuine customers, who are less likely to be deterred from shopping in that store by abusive attacks if there is a physical guard presence. You would think then that this would be more likely to happen in stores in ‘problem’ areas, or stores with perhaps a more ‘down-market’ appeal, but this is not the case. Is the fact that electronic security has become so ubiquitous that it is losing its effectiveness’ Well no and I will come back to my previous point here, EAS tagging, for instance, works more effectively than it did 25 years ago when it was introduced into this country. It serves only as a deterrent; it is not installed to catch thieves. The effectiveness of any equipment lies with the staff that operates it, and we are constantly reinforcing that message to our customers. It doesn’t matter how much you invest in the latest all singing all dancing system, if the staff are not properly trained to operate and gain the maximum effectiveness out of it, you may as well not bother. Here again, the man guarding comes into the equation, as frequently, this outside operator will be required to CCTV systems, carry out staff checks and inform management of suspicious staff behaviour. Do the two depend on each other’ Well, until the time comes when we buy everything online and the old fashioned notion of ‘going to the shops’ still exists, then the answer must surely be, yes.
