Designing a Robust Perimeter Security System

For venues, premises, and public spaces – from large to small, complex to simple, having a robust perimeter security system in place – appropriate and proportionate to the size and function of the venue – can significantly help to prevent or deter terror attacks.

The importance of perimeter security cannot be overstated. Both in terms of the real effects of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM), such as physically preventing cars and trucks from accessing an area; and the psychological effects, such as deterrence and making hostile reconnaissance more difficult. A robust perimeter security system must be appropriate to the situation itself and must deliver good value for money; it doesn’t make sense for a community town hall to have the same defences as an international airport, but both require pragmatic protection which suits their uses and the risk of attack that they face (if any).

In this definitive guide to the key considerations one must make before designing perimeter security systems, the experts at ATG Access help you understand each step that you need to take, including:

• Understanding Perimeter Security
• Conducting a Site Assessment
• Establishing Security Objectives
• Choosing Perimeter Security Measures
• Compliance with Regulations and Standards
• Testing, Maintenance, and Training

For venue operators, managers, and owners, this guide gives you a step-by-step process to allow you to think about your physical security systems in a different light. Keeping in mind that every space is unique and that each project requires different considerations, this process provides a good generalised starting point for designing a robust perimeter security system.

Understanding Perimeter Security

Before considering what systems suit your space and what procedures you should put in place, the first step of any process involves thinking about the overall objectives of perimeter security.

Perimeter security often involves a wide array of systems that interconnect to ensure that an area is secure, from bollards and fences to thinking about how the road network intersects with buildings and open areas. It’s important to take a holistic view of security when considering how to protect premises, and equally important to consider the unique requirements of each individual project. Security cannot be designed with a checklist approach – a process-driven methodology works much more effectively.

Perimeter security is often the first line of defence against hostile vehicle attacks for spaces and buildings where this is considered a feasible risk. For stadia, governmental buildings, transport hubs, and many more buildings and premises, the risk of an attack necessitates putting measures in place which prevent vehicles from targeting or even penetrating a particular location.

Physical security systems are also an excellent solution for the deterrence and prevention of unauthorised vehicular access to an area. With crash-tested automatic bollards, access control becomes a much simpler process, allowing necessary entrance for authorised stakeholders while still preventing unwanted and potentially hostile vehicles. In smaller venues, access control can be the most important aspect of securing the perimeter, so considering the desired outcomes before taking any further steps is necessary in ensuring that any project outcome  is appropriate and proportionate.

Conducting a Site Assessment

Once we understand our aims for perimeter security, the next step is to conduct an assessment of the site. Once again, at this stage you should take into account the individual situation of your premises.

What is the site’s layout?

Where do the boundaries lie? Does the site require the installation of protection measures on every side or are there constraints – such as natural barriers, the path of roads or the flow of traffic on the road network? What are the possible access routes currently and are they straight lines to the area needing to be protected or is the approach dampened with the use of chicanes or roundabouts? Are there any less obvious traverse routes?

What vulnerabilities exist?

Once you have identified potential entry points – whether intentional or not – and weak spots around the perimeter, you can begin to formulate a plan to protect the premises. Changing perspective to think about how a hostile actor might think about how to gain entry or otherwise do harm on the premises can help in identifying the areas that require more attention when formulating a plan to install perimeter security.

It’s also important to consider the surrounding environment during this stage, and to keep in mind that circumstances change over time. Consider what neighbouring venues and premises have installed, this can give an idea of the appropriate level required or at least a guide, but you also need to think about how the surrounding security impacts hostile behaviour. A hostile might be turned off a ‘hard’ target and turn their attention to nearby ‘softer’ targets, and thinking about surrounding security in these terms can improve the planning process.

We would always recommend employing the services of an independent, insured security consultant who can provide impartial guidance including Vehicle Dynamic Assessments and the required specifications in terms of crash ratings required to protect your site following a full assessment.

Establishing Security Objectives

Think about the specific objectives that you have in mind for your premises’ security. Defining goals and objectives early in the process really helps the project stay on budget and achieve proportionality – a key consideration for any security installation.

There’s no need to go overboard on security if that isn’t necessary, and having a clear set of goals can help you further down the line when it comes to choosing which measures make sense for your circumstances.

Consider:

• The unique needs and requirements of any public space
• How to balance security requirements with other factors, including:
  1. Aesthetics
  2. Functionality
  3. Project Cost
• How the space might evolve in the mid-term – and long-term – future

Again, a security consultant will help shape your approach to the specific security objectives that your space needs to meet and, importantly, how to do so most effectively. It’s crucial to consider the changing nature of spaces and venues over time, and important to keep in mind that reviews to your premises’ security should occur on a regular basis.

Choosing Perimeter Security Measures

When you’ve considered the appropriate level of security, including any crash-rated measure that your space needs, it’s time to think about which physical security products might be appropriate to implement. Working with an expert physical security provider, such as ATG Access, can give you an idea of the different options available to you and help you understand the appropriate level of security that your space requires.

Security Fencing and Barriers

There are a multitude of fencing and barrier options available. Selecting the right materials, aesthetics, and designs to integrating access control into your venue management, using the specification provided by a security consultant will help steer you towards an appropriate solution.

As with everything when it comes to perimeter security, selecting proportionate designs and systems is crucial to ensuring that you get the right level of security for your space at the right value for money.

ATG Access can help you find the right barriers, blockers, and bollards to keep public spaces safe.

Access Control Systems

For access control systems and preventing unauthorised vehicles from entering an area, our team can help you to find the right outcome. We’re here to provide an overview of the process, and to install bollards and other access control systems for the areas that have previously been identified as having vulnerabilities.

As the leading experts in access control systems, we can provide the fitting and specifications for bollards or barriers and the full range of systems to underpin operations, designed to secure your premises. There are a wide range of access control systems available to ensure that each individual scenario is matched with a perfect, fully operable solution.

Our experts can help with the integration of different options into your overall security when necessary, ensuring that the entire solution fits your needs and provide a seamless security experience.

Supporting Technology, Surveillance, and Monitoring Technology

Modern security for premises, building and public spaces involves a wide range of supporting technologies, including surveillance and monitoring. Part of proper and adequate security is ensuring that a venue operator can monitor the immediate vicinity of their premises, which means that supporting technology is vital to the overall security setup.

Monitoring and surveillance technology can also include integrated real-time security management with remote access, along with centralised monitoring and control systems for larger spaces. The importance of the supporting technologies for large venues is often essential.

Security features and systems need to be considered alongside other aspects of your building, space, or location. For example, is your existing lighting adequate for any surveillance capabilities? Equally important is giving consideration to your own operational capabilities and competencies – either you need to ensure your team can adapt to the new system, or your system needs to be designed with your operational capabilities / limitations in mind.

Compliance with Regulations and Standards

Following an understanding of the different barriers, bollards, access control systems, and monitoring technologies, it’s important to consider the regulations and standards that your space or premises must comply with.

Compliance should fall into place after the actual work of protecting the people that work in and use your venue but is still extremely important. One particular misconception with regard to crash rated standards is that it’s always better to over specify and fit the highest crash rated standard across a scheme. While that might seem sensible, it’s often a significant way to waste budget, often leading to detrimental compromises in security schemes in other areas.

It’s unlikely that every section of a perimeter will face exactly the same potential force in the event of an attack. So, while a section that faces a wide and straight road may well need equipment crash rated to mitigate high-speed attacking vehicles, there are likely to be other sections that don’t face the same risk.

Compliance does not automatically mean the highest rated product and it’s at this point that taking heed of the advice of independent security consultants and a VDA will reap rewards.

It’s also necessary to keep up to date with changes to legislation, and well worth keeping abreast of security industry news to stay ahead of the curve when updates do come about. It’s also advisable to stay updated on the best practices and guidelines within the industry, as security is an ever-evolving subject.

For more information on some specific security standards, check out our guides on the PAS 68, PAS 170, and IWA 14 standards. You can also download our handy ebook, which features a detailed overview of how each security standard works.

Testing, Maintenance, and Training

• Regular testing and evaluation of the perimeter security system
• Establishing a maintenance schedule for ongoing upkeep and repairs
• Training security personnel on operating and maintaining the system effectively

Once you have installed your security systems and have everything up and running, it’s necessary to note that in order to ensure that everything works as effectively as possible, proper maintenance, testing, and training for your staff is required.

Depending on the solution that works for your venue or space, different advice might be applicable, but ensuring that you have a regular maintenance schedule in place can help to keep your perimeter security solutions working as intended. We recommend at least once per year, but the importance of keeping an eye on your equipment and making sure that you’re vigilant when it comes to maintenance and testing can’t be overstated.

It is also important to ensure that your staff are trained, from security personnel to anyone else that comes into contact with the equipment, allowing them to operate the systems effectively and keeping the perimeter security in good shape.

When it comes to training, the level required will naturally depend on your specific situation and on the amount of contact that staff have with the perimeter security solution. It also goes back to understanding your own operational methodologies and making sure your security and operations are aligned.

Conclusion

Consider everything above when you’re designing your perimeter security solution. From the initial stage of research and understanding through to training your staff to make sure that the security system works effectively in practice, this guide highlights the steps to keep in mind.

The process should be comprehensive, individual to your circumstances and specific requirements, and most importantly, pragmatic, and adaptive. The right security solution isn’t one that is overbearing or over specified, but one that provides value for money and a level of security proportionate to the needs relating to the threat level of your space.

Seek professional advice from an independent security consultant and remember to continually assess your solution to improve your perimeter security as threats evolve. Keeping vigilant throughout the process of design as well as after the perimeter security has been installed is the best way to keep your site safe.

Get in touch with ATG Access to find out more about anything raised in this guide, or check out our range of HVM products here.