Record Breakers!

Fifteen of the twenty delegates attending the university-accredited Security Management Stage 1 Course in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka scored distinctions in the end-of-course examination on 31 May, smashing all previous Security Management Stage 1 records.

The delegates, from as far away as Africa and South Korea, have been undertaking the Middlesex University-accredited two-week training course as part of a long-term competency development programme which will culminate with the award of an MSc Work-Based Learning Studies (Corporate Security Management). Upon graduation, many subsequently plan to further augment their academic credentials by undertaking the ASIS International CPP certification.

The Security Management series of courses taking place in Bangladesh are part of a concerted effort by the business community to capitalise on the economic and political stability which is now evident in the country, and to provide overseas multinational investors with the confidence that their investments and assets are in secure, qualified hands. The courses are also open to security managers from outside Bangladesh.

Commenting on the training, the Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police remarked that the course will not only add considerable value to corporate security management but will provide a secured platform for both business growth and national development.

Pictured left is delegate Charles Man, China Security Manager, British American Tobacco, receivng his certificate from Inspector General Nur Mohammad.

Global Terrorism Database at Your Fingertips

The word ‘terrorism’ covers many different types of activity from bombings and kidnap to cyber attacks and hacking. For the first time, START: a Centre of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has made available the Global Terrorism Database (GTD).

This comprehensive online resource has been compiled to cover all terrorist events worldwide since 1970 and includes almost 80,000 cases to date. The GTD gives information on the date and location of the incident, the weapons used and nature of the target, the number of casualties, and -- when identifiable -- the identity of the perpetrator. The idea behind this is to improve understanding of historical and emerging threats and, as the GTD will be continually updated, to identify terrorism trends.

The GTD is a valuable and interesting resource for those who need to analyse such information and include it in their security risk analysis for their own businesses and organisations. Access to the Database is free. Follow the link to the START homepage:

http://www.start.umd.edu/data/gtd/

“Business Organisations Can Contribute Significantly in Shaping the National Security Environment” – Inspector General, Bangladesh Police

Wednesday evening marked the closing ceremony of the Security Management Stage 1 (Core Skills) Course in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka. Twenty delegates from seven different countries were presented with their certificates by guest of honour, Nur Mohammad, the Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police.

Inspector General Nur Mohammad congratulated the course participants on their achievements and stressed the importance that corporate security plays in shaping the national security environments of countries like Bangladesh. Importantly, the Inspector General noted that this was a two-way process and that security can only be achieved by responsibilities being shared. “The Bangladesh Police is highly committed towards maintaining a secured environment for all, especially the business sector,” remarked Inspector General Nur Mohammad.

The certificates were presented in the presence of an audience of invited guests including business leaders of multinational companies and the Deputy High Commissioner of the British High Commission.

Further South Asia regional courses planned for Bangladesh include:

Security Management Stage 3 (Strategic Skills), 2-13 December 2007
Security Management Stage 2 (Advanced Skills) Q4, 2008

No Jargon! No ‘PTZ’, no ‘Bandwidth’, No ‘BLT’

Recently, ARC Training International Ltd was commissioned by a leading multinational to provide security guidelines and standards for their 66,000 employee, $26 billion per year business.

Their global security organisation is ‘lean and mean’. They had the concept of what they wanted but not the time to do it.

Unusually, these guidelines were directed not at their security professional team but at the line management and those who act as security focal points at their locations.

Peter Horsburgh CPP, PSP, summed up the requirements for the success of this project:

“No Jargon! No ‘PTZ’, no ‘Bandwidth’, No ‘BLT’. Common sense and a writing style that suits those for whom English is a second language. The target audience are intelligent and dedicated but not security professionals. We had to provide this documentation in a short, usable format which would be fit for purpose. Client input is vital to success and so we constantly consult with them to produce some 40 separate documents and have these meet with the client’s approval.”

Peter’s closing words “It’s easy enough to teach best practice and to put it in the manual but you have to convince line management to use it. They won’t use it if it does not make sense!”

Kidnap Hostages Beheaded in Philippines

Refusals to pay ransom demands for the release of kidnap victims can cost dearly, as a recent case from the Philippines evidences. According to the latest Clayton Kidnap Monitor (May edition) a breakaway faction of a group called the Moro National Liberation Front -- believed to have joined forces with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) -- in April beheaded seven civilians whom they had been holding hostage. Six of the victims were working on a government road project in the area while the seventh victim was a worker at a fish processing factory. A Philippines military official stated that the company which employed the road workers had refused to pay a demanded ransom.

Kidnap Risk Reduction workshops are held twice yearly at ARC Training or on-site upon request. Business Travel Security workshops are held three times a year. Forthcoming events are as follows:

Business Travel Security Monday 9th July, Monday 22nd October

Kidnap Risk Reduction & Response Wednesday 26th September

For details on how to receive the free monthly Clayton Kidnap Monitor directly to your desktop go to:

http://www.claytonconsultants.com/

Pirated Security Software Loaded with Trojans and Spyware

The plethora of software available on the Internet can offer bargains to the potential customer, but beware of pirated software copies! Apart from the risk that it will not function correctly there is the risk of the software corrupting or crashing systems and introducing viruses, Trojans or spyware.

Security Watch at e-week highlighted these risks in a recent article, quoting one source as saying that ‘It's the same problem that's plagued name brand or copyrighted industries that produce high-end products, such as handbags’. Most victims are individuals looking for cheap software, but we should all remember the risks of introducing corrupt or infected files into our employers’ systems – where the potential direct and consequential losses could be substantial. Security Watch offers tips and reminders for buying software to help minimize the risks – but the best advice is that if you cannot be sure of the source, don’t buy it!

Follow this link to Security Watch’s report:

http://securitywatch.eweek.com/phishing_and_fraud/pirated_security_software_worse_than_none_at_all.html

The new ARC Training Security Management Stage 1 IT Security Handout is almost complete and detials of how to obtain this 40-page easy-to-understand guideline to more secure computing will be published on the blog shortly. The handout will be free as a PDF file to all past delegates of Security Management Stage 1 or SMAP.

Jane's Reignites Debate about Terrorist Threat to LNG Tankers

Jane’s Information Group, the most respected international source for information on the subjects of defence, geopolitics, transport and police, has this month again highlighted the risk of an LNG tanker being deliberately targeted by terrorists. The two scenarios advanced are a) hijacking and taking into a port for detonation and b) ramming while in port with a small boat laden with explosives. The former allows for the greater possibility of success of loss of containment since terrorists would be able to accurately position their explosives. However, monitoring of LNG vessels movements would hopefully ensure that any tanker set on such a course would be quickly identified by coastguards and destroyed while still at sea. The latter is conceivably easier to achieve, but the chances of causing a rupture is less easy to predict. Nevertheless, a damaged LNG tanker sitting on the bed of a port would probably would warrant a major response and cause enduring disruption.

Opinions as to the feasibility of the success of such an attack differ, and predictions of 1 kiloton-equivalent explosions are quickly dismissed by oil industry experts. The US Foreign Policy Research Institute, however, draws attention to a 2004 Sandia Laboratories report which estimated that an intentional attack on an LNG tanker, while not causing an immediate explosion, would result in “a vapor cloud of explosive gas spread over a radius of almost 2 miles from the ship. Any source of ignition within that vapor cloud would instantly cause an explosion of devastating proportion and horrific effect,” a view which is supported by James Fay, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

This, and other maritime security issues, together with measures to secure maritime assets against such threats, will be addressed during the forthcoming Maritime Security Management Course, which takes place 13 – 17 August. Contact Janet for details.

To read the contents of the FPRI report click on the following link:

http://www.fpri.org/enotes/20050321.americawar.husickgale.seaborneterroristattack.html