Author: Jennie-Leigh McLamb
ISBN No: 9780128013465
Review date: 15/06/2026
No of pages: 210
Publisher: Butterworth Heinemann
Publisher URL:
http://store.elsevier.com/Keeping-Religious-Institutions-Secure/JennieLeigh-McLamb/isbn-9780128013465/
Year of publication: 25/06/2015
Brief:
Keeping Religious Institutions Secure by Jennie-Leigh McLamb
price
£18.69
As Keeping Religious Institutions Secure has American authors, it focuses on US churches, but properly looks at cases outside the United States.
Whether arson, shootings, harassment or plain theft of property, no denomination of any religion โis immune to violenceโ, as the authors point out early on. And as with many other sectors of society, many incidents go unreported. The very fact that a temple, mosque, synagogue or church is a welcoming place means that criminals โsee them as an easy, target-rich environmentโ; and priests may offer an ear to the emotionally disturbed or deranged, who turn on them; or may suffer โhate crimesโ. And as elsewhere (hotels, hospitals?) the very fact that a place of worship is quiet and like a sanctuary may lead worshippers to lower their guard – which criminals can take advantage of.
Having set the scene, the authors go through the โtypical crimesโ faced – whether against people or property. The book goes through basic security principles; and evaluating risk; and how to choose physical, and electronic, security counter-measures. Soundly – because many places of worship, even the ones that arenโt historic, might not like obvious fencing or CCTV – the book goes on to CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) and policies and procedures.
While that might be standard fare for the security manager, particularly relevant to religious institutions is the chapter on โidentifying and handling at-risk peopleโ, whether those suffering from โchemical dependencyโ, or mental ill-health, or domestic violence (as the abuser may attack or even kill where the victim is worshipping, or working). British readers may feel that the chapter on โactive shootersโ and a later section titled โdeciding if you need executive protectionโ are too extreme for them, and they may feel thankful that theyโre not in the USA. Last but not least, given the scandals of abuse (and cover-ups of the abuse) in various institutions, is a chapter โprotecting children and youthโ. The conclusion there applies more generally: โAlthough it may be difficult to accept, good intentions will not negate potential criminal occurrences … you have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable users of your facility.โ In a brief single page conclusion, the authors wisely note that while religious institutions have to reduce and mitigate risks, there has to be a balance; the institution still has to do its mission. And yet a lifetime of good works can be destroyed in an instant: โProtect your organisation by taking security seriously.โ
Keeping Religious Institutions Secure, by Jennie-Leigh McLamb. Published 2015 by Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN: 9780128013465, 210 pages, online price ยฃ18.69. Visit elsevier.com.
