SECURITY / MAKING THE MOST OF CCTV

The cameras are turned on but is anyone watching ?

NINA SUEBSUKCHAROEN

While the recent bombings in Bangkok have increased people's awareness of security, it is noteworthy that most closed-circuit TV (CCTV) systems here are not active in that they are not monitored, says David Viccars, the managing director of Chubb Thailand.

One of the main differences between London, which has a history of terrorist attacks, and Bangkok is that the former has well-trained response teams monitoring the majority of CCTV systems.

"In Thailand most CCTV systems are not active, they are not monitored, they tend to be used in the recorder mode so they tend to record something that has actually happened rather than be used as a tool to prevent something happening."

While not suggesting that Bangkok is exposed to anything akin to what the British capital has experienced, Mr Viccars mentioned that aside from an extensive network of CCTV installations, London has controlled zones, areas where vehicles are not allowed, and checkpoints.

"It's a combination of CCTV and pro-active manpower. It's a whole matrix, isn't it? I mean, in the UK they allow stops and searches under certain circumstances. So it's a matrix of measures."

Mr Viccars also observed that in London one does not see unattended luggage anywhere because people are aware of the risk, but in Bangkok one often sees unattended bags in malls and hotels.

"Again, it's about the actual risk, isn't it? The security measures have to be devised for the appropriate level of risk and you can't draw a comparison between the level of risk as a whole in New York and the level of risk as a whole in Bangkok.

"Clearly there are individual properties, premises and companies that would have a greater level of risk attached to them than the rest of the city, but again it's about tailoring your security measures to your perceived risk."

Selecting a CCTV system from hundreds of types available can be perplexing and Mr Viccars' advice is to identify the purpose and then the location, as these indicate the required level of sophistication.

"About the location, for example, do you only need a camera by day or only by night? Do you need a camera looking at a fixed point or do you want it to move? There are so many variables. It's impossible to actually say what we would recommend because it's very much case by case."

Also, some buildings clearly are at greater risk than others by nature of their location but also the nature of their occupants. "You know, without naming names, certain nationalities, individuals and corporations are at higher risk than others."

The New Year's Eve blasts, which kept Chubb Thailand very busy with significant demand for additional guards from clients, many of whom are multinationals, have also led to these clients becoming far more aware of security than they had been a couple of months earlier.

"We have had inquiries about security systems such as CCTV and access control systems," says Mr Viccars.

Access control, he says, is a very appropriate way to monitor who is allowed in and out of a building or an office, but in order to reinforce it, it should be installed with a CCTV so that there is visual proof that is linked to the record on the access control computer system.

While agreeing that terrorists and other miscreants are also smart and could possibly outsmart the best system, Mr Viccars mentioned that disabling a CCTV system is difficult because most have independent power sources.

"But as I said, it's a matrix of measures. You cannot rely on just one system, there has got to be a security plan or a matrix that covers all eventualities.

"One of the main things about a security plan is that it must be infinitely variable and flexible and must not be predictable, because if it's predictable then by its very nature it will have weaknesses which an outsider watching will be able to identify."

Where individual homes are concerned, Mr Viccars says the approach is similar to that used with offices or public spaces _ it all comes down to location and who lives there. "It's a different risk. With individual homes it's often theft as opposed to individually targeted terror attack."

From a security standpoint, there are pros and cons to living in a house or a condominium, but with a single dwelling house someone has to be there all the time and it is easier to break into than a condo. "You cannot let terrorists dictate your lives. The whole thing has to be taken into a perspective. Take sensible measures but don't allow your lives to be dictated to."

Mr Viccars added that Bangkok continues to be one of the world's safest cities, with incidents such as the new Year's Eve blasts extremely rare. "Let's not overreact, I would say _ take sensible measures."

Bangkok Post
Wednesday January 31, 2007