Private security is of utmost importance to ensure the protection of people and their physical or intangible assets, as well as the tangible or intangible assets of companies. Private security professionals have the task of safeguarding many of the strategic institutions administered by the State; organizations in charge of education, production of goods and services, transportation, health and public services in general. Non-governmental institutions, in the same way, use private security services in order to protect their products, perform intelligence tasks and protect sensitive information through computer tools. The services of security professionals cover not only the protection of commercial businesses, but are also used for personal protection. Although there are some organizations that make use of their own security equipment, others prefer to employ third parties to perform such protection tasks. Also, many others prefer to use a hybrid system bringing together both the services of outside agencies and their own security personnel.
Private security can be defined as a profession exercised by formally organized security professionals, whose mission is to safeguard the patrimonial and physical integrity (tangible and intangible assets) of individuals and companies. Normally, that which is protected is of a private nature, belonging to individuals. By its very nature and definition, this type of protection must be guaranteed on a full-time basis.
These activities are regularly considered as protection services: safeguarding of real estate, products and supplies as well as the personnel in charge of them (activities performed by security guards); gathering of information of particular interest both for individuals and organizations: activities performed by computer security personnel and by personnel in charge of intelligence.
It is essential that this profession be exercised with the corresponding permits, granted by the authorities, who, in accordance with the laws in force, issue the necessary documents to both companies and protection professionals.
Definition of security guard.
This name is given to any person entrusted by a security company to safeguard the assets (real estate, people, supplies, capital, machinery, among others), the physical integrity of the personnel who are part of a company; property of the person requesting the protection service, against any type of threat or danger that may endanger their physical integrity (theft, plagiarism, physical or moral damage), through preventive mechanisms and strategies. Security personnel carry out this type of actions in person, so that their visibility as security agents has a dissuasive effect on the behavior of third parties whose purpose is to harm or undertake actions that negatively affect the assets being protected. Some of the actions that will help you perform this task are: surveillance on video monitors in real time, supervision of security alarms, use of vehicles for patrolling, observation and analysis of signs that could imply some kind of danger, alerting and warning the corresponding authorities or emergency bodies, as the case may be, and actions, in general, aimed at mitigating threats, risks or damages that could occur..
Security personnel typically wear some type of distinctive clothing that denotes their position of authority to exercise the position of protector and guardian. In addition, they always operate under a particular and strict regulation that allows them to properly exercise their position as protector; that is, a series of legal requirements (which vary depending on the current legal regulations and the demarcation of each nation or state) which must be complied with to the letter, leading them, in this way, to find themselves in the legal conditions necessary to be allowed to exercise this profession.
Physical security.
These are all those actions aimed at controlling entry to buildings and access to machinery or other company resources with the purpose of safeguarding the integrity of both the facilities and its personnel against any type of threat. To this end, different types of tools and strategies are used: interconnected structures such as closed circuit cameras, security personnel, containment fences, checkpoints, location and intimidation of threats in the area, equipment against accidents (fire, earthquakes, flooding) and any other type of system that helps to safeguard the physical integrity of people and property against all types of risks and threats.
Electronic security.
When talking about electronic security, there is a risk of falling into inaccuracies when defining what it is. It is a concept that can be applied to a wide variety of instruments whose function is to help strengthen a given security system. Their main characteristic is that they are electronic.
Generally, and in the context of private security, any tool that provides us with some kind of support in security tasks and that is operated electronically will be called "electronic security".
The following are some of the tools that provide us with some form of electronic security.
Closed circuit.
This type of devices are widely used in order to provide security. They are tools that can be installed anywhere (outdoors and indoors) and are used in surveillance of all kinds.
These devices allow a constant surveillance of a quite considerable perimeter, all in real time; in addition, they have the facility that both their monitoring and control can be performed remotely. Their technical characteristics allow the connection of several screens at the same time, depending on the security needs, and also allow the storage of video images that can later be used as evidence, as the case may be. Some devices have infrared vision, allowing uninterrupted monitoring.
Access control.
These types of methods are typically employed at entrances to banks and other types of buildings or organizations where access is highly restricted. This type of device uses electronic keys (cards) that must also be swiped through an electronic lock to open a door; only then is access allowed.
Alarm system.
This type of technology is also very versatile when it comes to its use, as it can be installed almost anywhere. Commonly, alarms are installed in those places where the risk of theft or invasion is quite high.
However, although this type of technology is well advanced, human intervention is still required for its operation and surveillance. For this reason, monitoring services are also an option. This type of service provides full-time (24-hour) surveillance, uses closed-circuit television cameras, and has personnel and equipment on standby to respond to any eventuality. These security systems can be located either in-house or operated remotely from a control room.
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