Crime Prevention for Senior Citizens

It is clear that criminals see senior citizens as soft targets. However, just because senior citizens are vulnerable does not mean they have to be completely helpless.  

Here are some crime prevention tips for our elderly. 

Personal safety at home:

1. Never open your door automatically. Install and use a peephole or use a CCTV system to see who’s there if you have a solid door. Alternatively, install a chain lock that allows you to see who is at the door without it being opened all the way and preventing forced entry.

2. Lock your doors and windows. (Many burglaries involving older persons, similar to all other age groups, involved unlocked doors and windows).  If you have a security door; keep it locked even whilst conversing with strangers. Keep your garage doors locked also.

3. Vary your daily routine.

4. Use “Neighbourhood Watch” to keep an eye on your neighbourhood. A concerned neighbour is often the best protection against crime, because suspicious persons and activities are noticed and reported to police promptly.

5. Don’t leave notes on the door when going out.

6. Leave lights on when going out at night. When you are gone for more than a day, make sure your home looks and sounds occupied; use a timer to turn lights on and off when you are away for an extended period.

7. Notify neighbours and the police when going away on a trip. Cancel deliveries such as newspapers and arrange for someone – a neighbour’s child, perhaps – to mow the lawn if need be. Arrange for your mail to be held by the Post Office or ask a neighbour to collect it for you.

8. Be wary of unsolicited offers to make repairs to your home. Deal only with reputable businesses. Look them up on the Internet, talk to other clients or give the company a call to establish their bona fides.

9. Keep an inventory with serial numbers and photographs of re-saleable appliances, antiques and furniture. Leave copies in a safe place.

10. Don’t hesitate to report crimes or suspicious activities.

11. Install deadbolt locks on all your doors and install window locks, where possible.

12. Keep your home well-lit at night, inside and out; keep curtains closed. Use of motion activated lighting is always useful in deterring 'would be' thieves. These can be used both inside your house or apartment as well as outside. They can provide both safety inside the residence as well as crime detection.

13. Ask for proper identification from strangers who arrive asking for donations or offering work to be done. Don’t be afraid of asking … if they are legitimate, they won’t mind.

14. If a stranger asks to use your telephone, offer to place the call for him or her yourself. Do not let them inside the house.

15. Never let a stranger into your home,

16. Do not hide your keys under the mat or in other conspicuous places. Thieves know them all.

17. Never give out information over the phone indicating you are alone or that you won’t be home at a certain time.

18. If you arrive at home and suspect a stranger may be inside, do not go in. Leave quietly and call 000 to report the crime.

Personal safety when out walking:

19. Walk purposefully and maintain situational awareness of the area and those also in the area.

20. If you are attacked on the street, make as much noise as possible by calling for help or blowing a whistle. Do not pursue your attacker. Call 000 and report the crime as soon as possible.

21. Avoid walking alone at night. Try to have a friend accompany you in high risk areas … even during the daytime.

22. Avoid carrying weapons. They may be used against you.

23. Always plan your route and stay alert to your surroundings. Walk confidently.

24. Stay away from buildings and doorways; walk in well-lit areas.

25. Have your key ready when approaching your front door.

26. Don’t dangle your purse away from your body. (Many crimes against the elderly are handbag/ wallet snatchings and street robberies.)

27. Don’t carry large, bulky shoulder bags; carry only what you need. Better yet, sew a small pocket inside your jacket or coat. If you don’t have a handbag, no one will try to snatch it.

Personal safety while shopping: 

28. Carry your handbag very close to you … don’t dangle it from your arm. Never leave it in a shopping cart. Never leave your handbag unattended.

29. Don’t carry any more cash than is necessary. Most stores accept debit or credit cards instead of cash.

30. Don’t display large sums of cash.

31. Watch out for thieves who may attempt to steal your shopping.

32. Be aware of your surroundings and those who are in your vicinity. Thieves do not like being eye-balled, as it can aid in their identification.

Protect your finances: 

33. Be aware of who is close to you when using ATM’s. Keep your PIN and amount being collected private. Have a friend with you, if possible.

34. Be wary of con artists and get-rich schemes that probably are too good to be true.

35. Store valuables in a Safety Deposit Box (if available).

36. Never give your money to someone who calls on you, identifying himself as a bank official. A bank will never ask you to remove your money.

37. Banks don’t want one of their customers to invite crime by having large amounts of cash around the house. Get it into a bank account.

38. Never fall for the trick of paying fines to Police by going to the bank with them to withdraw money for the fine.

39. When someone approaches you with a get-rich-quick-scheme involving some or all of YOUR savings, it is THEIR get-rich-quick-scheme. If it is a legitimate investment, the opportunity to contribute your funds will still be there tomorrow – after you have had time to consider it.

40. If you have been swindled or conned, report the crime to your local police as soon as possible. Con artists count on their victim’s reluctance to admit they’ve been duped, but if you delay you help them get away. Remember, if you never report the crime, they are free to cheat others again and again and you have no chance of ever getting your money back.

41. When in doubt…..Protect your finances and ‘don’t commit yourself’ to anything.

Personal safety whilst in your vehicle: 

42. Always keep your car doors locked, whether you are in or out of your car. Keep the fuel tank full and your engine properly maintained to avoid breakdowns.

43. If your car breaks down, pull over to the left as far as possible, raise the bonnet, return to the vehicle cabin, lock it and call for help. Wait INSIDE the car for help. Avoid getting out of the car and making yourself a target before help arrives.

44. At stop signs and traffic lights, keep the car in gear.

45. Travel well-lit and busy streets. Plan your route.

46. Don’t leave your handbag/ wallet on the seat beside you; put it on the floor, where it is more difficult for someone to grab it.

47. Lock bundles or bags in the boot. If interesting packages are out of sight, a thief will be less tempted to break in to steal them.

48. If you have an audible central locking system, ask a mechanic to disable the audible alarm part, as it can allow thieves to target you as you approach your vehicle.

49. When returning to your car, check the front and back seat before entering.

50. If possible, never bend over to place items in the vehicle as it leaves you exposed to attack. Have someone with you, if possible, to reduce the risk.

51. Never pick up hitchhikers.

 STAY ALERT AND STAY SAFE

Establishing Business Impact Levels and Risk Tolerance for your business.

Depending on the planning and investment in business plans and risk management, small business can flourish or die if the impact of an event or incident directly impacts on their operations or financial resilience.

Family and micro businesses are especially vulnerable as even a small loss due to repetitive incidents such as burglary, break and enter and shop stealing; or a reduction in family or other employees needed to operate the business due to injury, illness or death, will have a critical impact on cash flow and business operations. A critical impact then can be broken down as any hard dollar or reputational loss that could endanger the survival of the company.

The loss of stock, through fire, can be mitigated through insurance but the loss of customer/client information and listings through commercial espionage or loss of stock and client electronic data through a cyber crime ransomware attack can impact on your businesses reputation and operations.

Operations may also be interrupted by natural events, damage or breakdown of machinery, systems or equipment, power or gas outages, fuel delivery strikes, the failure of a supplier of goods or services or delayed deliveries or absenteeism of essential employees. There are many possible scenarios which should be considered such as:

Some quantifiable impact categories for a small retailer could include:

·         Inability to record sales

·         Inability to accept returns

·         Inability to process debit or credit cards, cheques (checks), gift cards, certificates

·         Inability to replenish merchandise

·         Inability to move merchandise between locations

·         Inability to respond to customer communications

·         Inability to advertise

A manufacturing company may see quantifiable impact categories as including:

·         Inability to order materials

·         Inability to receive materials

·         Inability to assemble materials

·         Inability to advertise products

·         Inability to process orders

·         Inability to ship products

·         Inability to collect payment[1]

 It is incumbent on all business owners to understand their risk tolerance and by identifying and evaluating the impact of disasters on business, owners can establish the basis for investment in recovery strategies as well as investment in prevention and mitigation strategies. To do this you need to have developed a risk management plan.

Once you have developed a risk management plan, you should conduct a business impact analysis to assess the likely impact of these risks on your business operations. This is the preparedness step in the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery (PPRR) model[2] for developing a business continuity plan. A business impact analysis identifies the activities in your business operations that are key to its survival.

Business owners should recognise that a business impact analysis (BIA) is a continuous process that predicts the consequences of disruption of a business function and process and gathers information needed to develop recovery strategies. Potential loss scenarios should be identified during a risk assessment. It is not a one-off process.

We don’t conduct one BIA report then step back from it for a year or so. It needs to be constantly monitored to take into consideration changes in the sales, production or security environment. As crime changes and moves from areas of a city or region, threats levels will change and as many small enterprises have found, a series of break-ins, caused by displaced crime, can change the financial state of a small business in a very short time and threaten its continued viability.

The first step in developing your analysis is to ask yourself some key questions:

·         What are the daily activities conducted in each area of my business?

·         What are the long-term or ongoing activities performed by each area of my business?

·         What are the potential losses if these business activities could not be provided?

·         How long could each business activity be unavailable for (either completely or partially) before my business would suffer?

·         Do these activities depend on any outside services or products?

·         How important are the activities to my business?

As the risks to your business change, so too will their potential impacts. When you update your risk management plan, you will also need to conduct a new business impact analysis.

Seek advice from all levels of your business in order to identify all processes and functions that go into making your business function, then, ask yourself these questions:

·         what could occur if this function of my business was unable to function for any reason?

·         where could critical financial impact occur and what is the potential amount of the impact?

·         where could critical reputational impact occur and what is the potential amount of the impact?

·         under what circumstances could a critical impact occur? and

·         what is the effect of the impact over a lifetime?

 Let’s look at an example of a small business that produces widgets for the mining industry. The widgets are high use and replaced every week to be refurbished by the manufacturer. If we have a crisis and are unable to supply the widgets, mining companies will understand a delay of a few days by adjusting equipment operation to reduce wear on existing widgets, but some may not be able tolerate a delay and may be forced to reduce or cease operations until supply is re-established. The cost to mining companies could be very high but the cost to the small business could be catastrophic if its reputation is damaged by the crisis that results in companies seeking alternate suppliers.

Business continuity and business resilience that arise from BIA reports are critical in ensuring you can weather a crisis and whilst bringing in expert consultants to work with you to develop your report on the results of a BIA is a good practice, you can assist by preparing BIA Worksheets that can greatly assist in bringing critical functions to the fore and allowing you to understand the real impact of events on your business.

A business Impact Analysis Worksheet allows you to look at each function, department or process and identify at which point in time, an interruption would have the greatest impact. Each worksheet should be developed for each department, function or process that you have identified. A simple example is shown below:

Business Impact Analysis Worksheet[3]

Department / Function / Process……………………………………………………………

Operational & Financial Impacts

Timing/Duration	Operation Impact	Financial Impact
Timing: Identify point in time when interruption would have greater impact (e.g., season, end of month/quarter, etc.) Duration: Identify the duration of the interruption or point in time when the operational and or financial impact(s) will occur. •   < 1 hour •   >1 hr. < 8 hours •   > 8 hrs. <24 hours •   > 24 hrs. < 72 hrs. •   > 72 hrs. •   > 1 week •   > 1 month	Considerations (customize for your business) Operational Impacts: •  Lost sales and Income •  Negative cash flow resulting    from delayed sales or income •   Increased expenses (e.g. overtime, outsourcing, expediting costs etc) •   Regulatory fines •  Contractual penalties or loss of contractual bonuses •   Customer dissatisfaction or defection •   Delay executing business plan or strategic initiative	Financial Impact Quantify operational impacts in financial terms.

As part of your business impact analysis, you should assign recovery time objectives to each activity to help determine your basic recovery requirements. The recovery time objective is the time from when an incident happens to the time that the critical business activity must be fully operational in order to avoid damage to your business.

By identifying a time frame necessary to recover and financial amounts to measure your risk appetite where you feel that the business can recover, you can add the information to the table (such as in the above example) to provide better context upon which to base your assessment of priorities for mitigation.

The information resulting from the BIA can be used to bring some local clarity to your consequence rating on your risk management matrix. The table based on ISO31000:2009 below provides a simplified example of how the BIA could be used when applied to business operations, creating your business impact level (BIL).

Minimal BIL-1	Minor BIL-2	Moderate BIL-3	Major BIL-4	Catastrophic BIL-5
Impacts on business operations
Operational capacity
·   Minimal impact on operations. Some reduction on function or process effectiveness but can be dealt with by routine procedures in place.	·   Minor impact on operations. Some reduction on several functions or processes effectiveness but can be dealt with by routine procedures in place.	·  Significant degradation in organisational capability to an extent and duration that, while the business can perform its primary functions, the effectiveness of the functions is noticeably reduced	·  Severe degradation in, or loss of, business capability to an extent and duration that the business cannot perform one or more of its functions for an extended time	·   Severe degradation in, or loss of, business capability to an extent and duration that the business cannot perform any of its functions. ·   Business closure likely.
Business Assets
·   Low or no damage to assets	·   Some damage to assets that will affect functions or processes whilst replacements are obtained. ·   Time frame for replacement >3 months.	· Damage to assets that result in multiple functions or processes that reduces productivity until replacements can be obtained. · Time frame for replacement <3 – 6 months.	·  Damage to assets that results in long term harm to the business. ·  Time frame for replacement <6 months.	·   Damage to assets that are irreplaceable or beyond financial capacity to replace.
Business Finances
·   Low or no financial loss	·   Medium financial loss that does not impact on the ability or capability to meet financial obligations. ·   $100,000 - $500,000	·  Financial losses are covered by insurance and recoverable within a short term but will have a short-term effect on capability. Potential regulatory attention. ·  >$500,000 - $800,000	·  Substantial financial loss leading to key activities being shelved and loss of public/shareholder confidence. Likely regulatory attention. ·  >$800,000	·    Significant financial loss leading to significant damage to the organisations 'brand' and ability to operate. Significant regulatory attention. ·    >1000,000

Note: Estimated financial losses based on micro business model requiring a reliable cash flow.

The information that arises can be used to:

·         evaluate whether the limits of insurance are adequate. Are you underinsured?

·         compile an inventory of properties and assets and determine whether insurable values reflect inflation costs over time, and

·         allow a review of whether property, stock and other insurance policies adequately cover actual cash value or replacement cost.

It can also provide you an overview of just where you need to improve your supply chain to ensure stock, plant or equipment can be replaced within a minimal timeframe to ensure business resilience.

The BIA can assist in allowing you to properly determine just what your risk tolerance level is. A small micro business (such as an on-line business or a restaurant) may have a risk tolerance of BIL2 whilst a medium size business, with a sound client base, good supply chain and regular cash flow may be able to tolerate BIL-3. Each business differs, and each risk tolerance level will differ.

Your mitigation strategies and security investment will, in most cases, align with your level of risk tolerance in which case second guessing would be a dangerous strategy but undertaking a BIA to determine consequences and business impact levels will provide you with quantifiable evidence upon which to make business decisions. Your business impact analysis will also help you develop your recovery plan, which will help you get your business running again if an incident does happen.

Like your Business Plan and Risk Management Plan, your Business Impact Analysis is a tool that can provide you an element of certainty during periods of crisis.  As Benjamin Franklin stated in his Philadelphia address on fire safety, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

It is as true today as it was in 1736.

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[1] https://www.ready.gov/business-impact-analysis

[2] https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/protecting-business/risk-management/pprr-model

[3] https://www.ready.gov/business-impact-analysis

Safeguarding the workplace - A practical guide for public servants

UR

CENTRAL TO

SECURITY

Security Series No. 2
by Ray Andersson

SAFEGUARDING THE WORKPLACE

A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS

These days we all should be careful about home security - locking doors and windows, having suitable locks and lighting.  It is also an unfortunate fact of life that we need to be on our guard against theft in the workplace.

Many of us think of our office as a “home away from home” and we want to believe that our personal possessions, and the government owned equipment we use, will be safe at work.  We don’t want to think that our personal items or work tools will “walk off”.  But office security, like personal health, is often lightly regarded until something happens.  There are departmental and Australian Federal Police (AFP) concerns about the incidence of theft in the workplace.

Some managers and employees may falsely believe that crime in the workplace is not their problem, that it is a matter for security to deal with. Theft at work is a problem for us all.   Don’t be disadvantaged through carelessness at work.  Get your co-workers and supervisors together to discuss how you can best ensure the security of all property and staff.

Here are some basic pointers on how to prevent or minimise theft in your workplace.

Personal Belongings

Ø  ALWAYS keep your wallet or handbag with you or locked in a secure drawer or cabinet. Never leave them unattended.

Ø       Smart thieves are quick. Never leave petty cash, government credit cards, wallets or purses insecure, even if its only for a minute or two. Lock them away unless you are using them or they are in you personal possession.

Ø       Ensure that a safe place is provided by your agency, to secure your personal belongings in the workplace, then use it.

Ø         When  you travel on official business, keep your excess cash, debit or credit cars or traveler’s cheques with you or locked away in a hotel safe. NEVER leave ‘valuables’ in your suitcase, under the mattress or in a coat pocket.

Visitors 

Ø           Don’t assume that a stranger wandering in the building is a member of staff.  A simple “Can I help you” may be all that is necessary to deter a potential thief.

Ø           Don’t allow anyone to remove equipment without checking first that they have authority to do so.

Ø             Don’t leave callers alone in the office.

Repairpersons 

Ø           Ask for identification - even if the repairperson is wearing a uniform;  if you must leave the office area ensure that attractive items and information are properly secured in your absence.

Ø          Be cautious ... uniforms, or patches with company or a person’s name, can look authentic but can be stolen or imitated by determined thieves.

Ø             Always check the identification of any stranger who comes to your office to do repair or other type of service work.  If you think it’s necessary, call the repair company and ask if they have a work order for your office and who is authorized to do the work.

Reporting Incidents     

Ø           Notify all security related incidents - including any apparent security weaknesses which may have contributed -  to your Security Liaison Officer who will notify the Security Manager.  Make sure you report anything that is missing - government or personal property - immediately.

Ø          Try to remember the day and time you last saw the item and where you saw it.  Describe the item thoroughly.  If it is marked with an identification number or symbol, give that information to the security liaison officer.

Your departmental security units' role, in dealing with reported incidents, is to analyse the incident and its circumstances, co-ordinate investigative and preventative action to mitigate any further occurrence of a similar incident, and to give feedback to management and employees reporting incidents.

Keeping Track of Your Office Equipment and Furniture    

Ø            Ideally, all office equipment and furniture should be marked, e.g., an engraved symbol and an identifying property number, in a prominent spot.  Plans to mark relevant items should be discussed with the appropriate equipment officer in your area, as some marking procedures may conflict with Departmental policy.    Also, where practical, mark any personal property with your initials and/or an identifying number (e.g. Driver’s Licence No.).

Ø             Ensure that an an up-to-date inventory of your office furniture and equipment (and a separate list for personal property) is kept in a locked drawer or cabinet.  List each item, with its model and serial numbers, engraved or marked symbol, and a thorough description of the item.

Ø            Do regular inventories of equipment and furniture that is not used daily, and don’t store unused equipment (Tablets, audio recorders or other attractive items) on top of cabinets, under tables, or in isolated areas.  Lock the equipment in a cabinet or closet and make sure all items are marked and listed; it may be more practical for unused equipment to be returned to a stores area.

Ø              Consider whether larger equipment (eg. personal computers, laptops, etc) should be secured by an approved security device.

Safe Combinations/Computer Passwords/Keys

Ø            Memorize  combinations and  passwords, but you should also have a backup system for use when a co-worker is on leave or moves to a new job and no one remembers the combinations and passwords.  

Ø         Write or type the safe and vault combinations and computer passwords on a piece of paper.  Double envelope the paper and secure with appropriate security wafer seals.  Put the envelope in an approved security container and record details of anyone accessing the contents of the envelope.  Change the combination(s)/passwords, as soon as possible thereafter.

Ø           Ensure that all combinations and passwords are changed on a regular basis, and especially when a staff member ceases duties in that particular office/area.  Be careful with keys and locks.  Keep keys in a safe place, not “hidden” in drawers, tins, etc.  Your departmental security unit can help with advice.

Office Security Tips

Ø              Keep that back door locked.

Ø              Lock all offices or conference or storage rooms that are regularly unoccupied.

Ø           If you’re the last person to leave at night (and especially before weekends or holidays), secure all computer systems, critical files and copiers.  If your office uses any electrical appliances, make sure they are switched off.  Most importantly  - close and lock all relevant windows and doors.  Where alternative arrangements have been made for cleaning, emergency access, etc., lock your office door.

Ø             Remember that not all thieves are necessarily outsiders.