Venue Security - removing the smoke and mirrors

Today’s security systems and controls are an increasingly important tool for venue owners to have on board rather than to be left aside or placed behind other priorities in the setup and operations of a venue. In fact security is not the unknown concept that some people will have you believe.

This subject sometimes can be difficult to discuss and it can be a very hard pill to swallow for some new businesses but it is an area that must addressed.

What is hard is separating the snake oil and smoke screens that some people use to scare you, rather than inform you, of what really matters. It’s important to tailor your security needs into your venue to ensure that they are working for you and not against what you are trying to achieve.

So why do we need it? Some people often say - “security systems are just something’s that affect my bottom line”.

Simply put, can you afford not to have them? The answer is a simple no. Some of you may not agree however without them you may not have a bottom line and that’s a reality that we see too often in some businesses today.

Your security design is just as important as the design of your bar. Without attention to detail in both cases you will lose money.

So, just what security is important to your venue? The security industry has evolved just as everything else has in our lives, however the unfortunate stigma attached to the image of venue security is still the bouncer on the front door of your local pub, not, as a growth industry in Australia and overseas.

Security measures are more than just that big Islander guy on the door or a few cameras up on the walls. In fact expensive gadgets and technology can often cloud the real security issue at hand.

Part of that reason is that we don’t always see today’s threats coming; more and more threats are internal not external to our business. Not all threats knock on the front door and announce their arrival like a drunk of St Patrick’s Day.

The key is to think of security not in absolutes but in balanced trade-offs; whether on a personal level or strictly business. Start thinking about security and how you can implement it sensibly into your business to assist you in effectively managing your risks.

Some areas of security/risk management may not suit your business. This is intended to inspire you on how you can better utilise the tools that you have at your disposal and to better approach your businesses security needs.

It is important that you have confidence in the security measures that you implement or measures that others take on your behalf.

Whether your goal is to gain more knowledge and enhance your security requirements or just to have a better understanding, a security consultant can change the way you think about security for your venue, so you can continue to provide a safe environment for you, your staff and customers to enjoy.


Case Example: Club Swans, Sydney

It is important to ensure that you have a security master plan in place for your new business or even an existing business. This plan will cover all areas of your business from the design stage right through to operational readiness and beyond. One business where we have been able to assist in their master plan is Club Swans the club house for the Sydney Swans, located in Kings Cross, Sydney.

Arrow Security provides a security consultancy service to Club Swans on a monthly basis to ensure that all areas of security are being looked at and the Club’s Management can concentrate on other areas of the business.

If you are wanting advice in relation to security for your venue do not rely on sales men selling equipment to you as they will only tell you what you want to hear. Using licensed security consults to advise you on what is acceptable for your venue is very important and in the long run cost effective way of ensuring that you get the right tools for the job at hand. Venues are becoming ever more reliant of CCTV coverage and other security countermeasures and the wrong choice could harm your investment and more importantly your reputation.

It is important that clients be security minded this will help ensure that security planning is not left behind in the design of the new premises. The importance of security in the overall concept will assist your business to grow.

In the planning stage of the Clubs new design we had input into the areas where security would play an important part these were;

  1. CCTV placement and system design throughout the Club
  2. Alarm design and placement throughout the Club
  3. Access control design and placement throughout the Club
  4. Strong room design

The importance of security in these areas has assisted to reduce risks that the business is exposed too at different times.
 
Other areas, which are as important as the design stage, are operational policy and procedures (SOP’s). These need to be in place to assist management to detect other risks that the venue might be exposed to such as, stealing both internal and external, armed robberies, slip and falls, evictions and other OH&S issues that could occur. It is important to ensure that you have the following in place such as;

  1. Staffing Manual
  2. OH&S Manual
  3. Business Continuity Plan
  4. Crisis Management Plan
  5. Emergency Management Manual
  6. Security Manual
  7. OH&S Policy
  8. Bar SOP Manual
  9. Kitchen  SOP’s
  10. Delivery and cellar SOP’s
  11. Safe work method policies for all areas of the business
  12. Risk Assessments
  13. Strong Room SOP’s
  14. Money handling

CCTV

With over 100 different types of Digital video recorders (DVR’s) on the market and hundreds of different cameras being sold it is important to know what is what. The importance of choosing the correct DVR and the right camera is crucial. The type of system and camera that was chosen for the Club is able to deal with changing light conditions in this type of venue. Many venues that we have witnessed get sold systems that are not conditioned to deal with low light or changing light conditions and become very disillusioned with what they have purchased. It is also important to ensure that the system that you choose can be expanded on, is seamless in it design, can deal both analogue and digital cameras and the recorded images can be exported to a third party to be reviewed ,such as the Police. It is the author’s opinion that it will not be long before it becomes mandatory that CCTV system installed by venues will have to meet certain specifications in relation to their licence.

By assisting the Club in this stage of the security design we have been able to place cameras in strategic areas that have been able to assist management to identify areas of risk and be able to resolve the issues that were identified. Due to the correct placement of cameras in key areas such as bars and other high risks areas we have been able to identify both patrons and staff involved suspicious activities, refute bogus public liability claims and in some cases theft of money and stock.

The importance of camera placement is key in assisting any business to identify risks within their business, which could be called on in the future to support any evidence that was gathered.

The other area where we have been able to assist the Club with is ensuring that the system has the capability of interfacing the CCTV system with the POS system to identify suspicious activity in any area where stock is sold from drinks to food sales.

By having this capability you very quickly can cut to the chase and indentify areas of risk such as no-sales and other deficiencies within critical areas.

Areas that we recommend coverage to were;

  1. Perimeter entry doors of building
  2. Footpath areas around the premises
  3. Entry and exit identification cameras (ID cameras)
  4. Foyer
  5. Internal bar areas
  6. Gaming
  7. All stairs
  8. Lifts
  9. Cellar areas
  10. Function rooms
  11. External terraces
  12. Smoking terraces
  13. Cashiers
  14. Strong room
  15. Managers office
  16. General walk ways
  17. General seating areas

ALARM SYSTEM AND ACCESS CONTROL

In regards to alarming and access control it is important that you use a system that is designed for commercial use, again we were able to install an alarm system that has the capability to be expanded on in the future as well as being able to interface with the Clubs CCTV system.

By using access control we were able to control access to areas within the venue that needed to be restricted such as strong room, cellar, and perimeter doors and cashiers station.

With the software for this alarm system we have been able to limit and control access to the premises at all times and create audit trails within the venue to track unauthorized access to areas within the Club.

The importance of being able zone areas of the club into the alarm panel, so that at times where staff are able activate perimeter alarms outside of operating times, so they can work in a secure environment while counting money and clearing money from gaming machines.

By having this setup in the alarm system staff will know if someone has open a perimeter door by mistake or whether there has been an unauthorized breach of a perimeter door.

The importance of creating barriers within your business will assist in deterring unauthorized activity access control is a very cost effective way of allowing you to do this.

Areas that had access control fitted were

  1. Front Entrance
  2. Cash handling areas
  3. Strong room
  4. Managers office
  5. Staff rooms
  6. Executives offices
  7. Perimeter door
  8. Cool room
  9. Server and comms room

Michael Clarke, Director of Arrow Security, a Security/Risk Management Consulting Group, and he has provided security advice and services to businesses both large and small in the areas of:

* Loss Prevention
* Electronic security design and installation
* Risk management
* Crisis Management
* Business Continuity
* Investigations
* Surveillance
* Security
* Close Personal Protection

Within Australia, Michael has also provided close personnel protection (CPP) and advice to some of Sydney's A-list sporting and corporate personalities.
Michael currently is also the Managing Director of The Coolers Group Pty Ltd a security based consulting firm that operates throughout Australia and will soon offer services overseas. Michael has 15 years experience in the Security Industry.
Michael is also an associate IIBE (International Institute for Business Excellence) and is currently writing two books relating to Corporate Espionage and Close Personal Protection. Both books will be released later this year.
 

 
editorial and advertising enquiries > Cat Strom 02 9457 8302 or 0400 825094 or info@totalvenue.com.au