Perimeter Security: What is perimeter security and why do you need it?
Perimeter security is as old as history itself!
Perimeter security has been around as long as man has had property to protect.
A perimeter outlines a property boundary and can normally be separated from the main building outline or footprint. Having a wall, fence, hedge gate etc to mark your perimeter offers a clear defined boundary and acts as the first line of defence against trespassers.
Throughout history, perimeter security consisted of walls, ditches, dikes and moats. The more valuable your property or the higher in social standing the building occupier, the larger and more complex the perimeter security would have been. Its purpose not only to serve as defense against attack, but to express power and in some cases dominance. In more recent history, as the threat of attack from adversaries diminished, the requirement for massive and complex perimeter security was replaced with more modest walls and fences.
Modern Perimeter Security Systems
In modern times, and with the invention of the burglar or intruder alarm, western society has seen a dramatic shift away from perimeter security to internal building security. Domestic and business owners have relied on electronics to secure their buildings internally, which, over time reduced property owners and dwellers’ dependency on perimeter security. However, internal electronic security by its very nature, regardless of the effectiveness of the equipment, operates on the validation that a trespasser is ‘inside’ the building or actively disturbing the building’s windows, doors and other entry points. More often than not, doors and windows need to be broken or opened before the alarm triggers.
HERE ARE FIVE LOGICAL REASONS WHY INTRUDER ALARM SYSTEMS ARE FLAWED:
The alarm is triggered ‘after the event’. Intruder alarms will trigger when an intruder gains entry to your premises. By then, it’s already too late.
The trespasser has ample opportunity to plan their robbery or attack by surveying the building up close from the outside without being detected.
Allowing such close proximity to the building increases the risk of alarm equipment being sabotaged.
Internal security does not protect the outside of your building, nor any items, property or machinery left outside of the alarmed zone.
An intruder alarm system is no major deterrent to an organized trespasser who can get in and out quickly.
By employing traditional internal burglar alarms, the property owner is relying on the walls of the property to act as first line of defense, when in fact, it should be the final line of defence. External perimeter fencing is suitable for identifying the perimeter of a property, but unless it is alarmed, it is not enough to act as protection.
You need active, not passive perimeter security.
To be effective against well-heeled trespassers, perimeter security needs to be active, not passive. Passive perimeter security (e.g. a fenceline) can delay a trespasser from gaining entry to the property, but unless it is alarmed, there is no way for the property owner to know the fence is being breached. This allows the trespasser ample time to dismantle a passive gate or fence. Now, imagine if that fence was alarmed. As soon as a trespasser begins to compromise the fence, the property owner and first responders, likely Police/Gardaí, are notified.
There are several types of active perimeter security product categories that Hanntec Security and Engineering employs to protect assets ‘externally’.
Photoelectric beams
External PIRs
Laser Sensors
Radar Sensors
Fibre optic detection sensors
Microwave sensors
Electric monitored fences
Microwave sensors
Vibration sensors
Seismic sensors
Monitored CCTV
A layered security installation will employ a combination of these sensor technologies to create more than one active line of defence against trespass.
True Protection: Complete Perimeter Security
The best form of security ensures safety against criminal activity; one that meets both situation and customer requirements. A perimeter security system designed for an office block may not need to be as complex as a system designed to protect a hyper-scale data center. However, in order to be effective and offer true protection, they both must employ a layered, active approach to security.
Traditional burglar alarms and ineffective external security offer criminals massive opportunity for trespass; they do little to deter an attack; and they create a false sense of confidence with unsuspecting customers. In certain circumstances, these traditional methods are very affordable and are certainly better than no security at all.
However, correctly installed perimeter security has many benefits, including but not limited to, increased safety, a more effective deterrent, reduced risk of trespass and heightened peace of mind. One of the most important attributes to effective perimeter security is the significantly reduced attack and response time.
If an active perimeter security installation alerts property managers, owners and first responders about a security breach at the perimeter fence line, then the likelihood of any further and significant damage, loss or theft occurring is almost nil.
Jack Walshe, BEng MIEI
Jack Walshe runs Hanntec Security, based in Waterford, Ireland.
Hanntec designs and installs perimeter security solutions for customers across Europe.
