How to prevent attacks with improved security - Part 2

Great to have you all back again for Part 2 in our series on preventing rural/home attack. In this part, we are going to have to look at some of the ways that we can better physically secure our premises.

START IN THE HOME

1. SECURITY ASSESSMENT

A security assessment should be a structured physical evaluation of your residence. It is important that this be done without emotion or preconceived ideas. Ideally it should be done by a REPUTABLE SECURITY PROFESSIONAL - but here is a word of warning. There are indeed a lot of honest, knowledgeable, and trustworthy security professionals in the Security Industry. THERE ARE ALSO a lot who lay claim to these fancy titles, but who are far from any of the qualities mentioned earlier.

Be sure that you are comfortable with the person you are requesting to do your evaluation and that their credentials are up to date and that they are employed by a reputable security company, such as CORE TACTICAL SERVICES.

Should financial constraints be severe, and you cannot afford to get the advice of a PROFESSIONAL REGISTERED SECURITY CONSULTANT, ask one of your neighbours or friends to do the survey for you. In so doing you will be ensuring that it is an open and honest evaluation of your premises without any preconceived ideas or emotional attachment.

Once you have such an assessment ensure that it is secure and kept away from prying eyes, especially domestic helpers, gardeners, and the likes. This is especially applicable when you are not busy working with the document.

This assessment will form the reference document for your action plan going forward.

2. SAFE ZONE

It is advisable to identify a “safe room” in your dwelling. In some cases, it will be possible to have a central room with:

• A suitable SOLID door

• Rations - Water and food if required

• First Aid Kit

• Firearm

• Communications equipment e.g. - cell phone or internet access or two-way radio/s

Everyone in the house would head directly for this room in the case of a severe or extreme threat.

When it is not possible or practical to have a separate room for this purpose you should identify an area within your residence and house the necessary supplies in a cupboard or other safe storage place. It is of utmost importance that EVERYONE in your home is aware of where this place is.

Make sure that you have a dedicated radio or cell phone stashed in that area and to be used solely in the event of an emergency. It does not help that you rely on your personal phone in these situations as they may have been damaged or stolen already.

The GOLDEN RULE is that the equipment stored in this location must BE USED SOLELY FOR EMERGENCY PURPOSES.

3. WEAPONS

What weapons do you have available for self-defence?

Are they accessible to all who are trained?

Are your family members trained to use these weapons?

If you do not have any firearms there are a range of suitable alternatives such as pepper sprays, batons, stun guns and air guns.

CORE TACTICAL SERVICES will gladly advise in this regard and advise you in purchasing such equipment.

4. RESPONSIBILITIES

Make sure that each of your family members has clearly defined roles in terms of what is expected of them in the case of an emergency. Also do not forget to allocate “backups” so that if a family is not able to fulfil their duties, there is a backup in place.

Remember to allow for things such as:

• Who locks which doors?

• Who carries the children to your safe area?

• Who collects which weapons?

It is important that everyone knows their specific responsibility and executes it. It needs to be continuously and regularly practiced so that everyone knows their responsibilities and so that it runs like a “well-oiled machine”. This will assist to prevent any panic and irrational behaviour.

It is also important to make allowances for times when Mom and Dad are not present for whatever reason. Who takes over their responsibilities in their absence?

5. PRACTICE

Practice is what makes your plan work - or not.

In the beginning, this plan should be practiced at least once per week, until such time as everyone understands EXACTLY what needs to be done.

Do not forget to rehearse instances when Mom and Dad are not around to see that everyone still has a clear understanding of their responsibilities.

Thereafter it is a good idea to do unannounced practice runs with different scenarios to ensure understanding and adherence to the plan.

PRACTICE is key once you have your plan drafted. Regular practice will result in less panic and ultimately less injury and/or fatalities.

CORE TACTICAL SERVICES are suitably equipped with the relevant and necessary experience and knowledge to assist in all the above.

Feel free to contact us for more information.