The Use of Technology - Security Today

Posted: 02 Dec 2020 12:00 AM PST

The Use of Technology

Proper software, solutions have help identify potentially bad hires

By Todd Mickelsen
Dec 02, 2020

Customers and the public trust security firms to safeguard people, places and information. This trust is quickly destroyed when security staff commit a crime, which is often due to inadequately prescreening job candidates during the interview process. "Since guards are trusted with customer access codes and/or keys to their facility, it's imperative to have an efficient and thorough screening process," said Brett Magleby of Salt Lake City-based Panther Security & Investigations. "It is a huge liability for a security company to have someone knowingly dishonest in a customer building or secure site. They can quickly lose a security firm's contracts by doing something dishonest."

BAD PRESS FOR SECURITY FIRMS

This liability has reared its ugly head and repeatedly documented over the year in news stories. For example, last April an off-duty security guard was arrested and charged with assault. In March, a story broke that more than 600 weapons from the world's largest security company were reported lost or stolen since 2009. And in January, a security guard was convicted of falsification of evidence as a police officer, disorderly conduct and theft.

In one of the more extreme examples of a bad hire, in 2017 a New Jersey security guard was accused of stealing $100,000 on his first (and last) day at work from his new employer's armored truck.

SCREENING OPTIONS FOR NEW HIRES

According to recently published research, the U.S. security services market is estimated to reach $39.1 billion this year. With this market growing an average of 2.8% annually between 2015 and 2020, it's more important than ever for security firms to have a system in place for hiring honest, trustworthy staff.

Unfortunately, there may be disqualifying activities in a job candidate's history that an interview, personality test, integrity test, background investigation, fingerprint check or drug test may not uncover. Many criminals are never caught. And screening tests or background checking systems are poor at detecting deception or simply aren't designed to do so.

This article originally appeared in the November / December 2020 issue of Security Today.

Domestic abuse campaign: Why domestic abuse is not just physical violence and how can you receive support - Peterborough Telegraph

Posted: 01 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST

The bill will create a statutory definition of domestic abuse, emphasising that it is not just physical violence but can also be emotional, coercive or controlling and economic abuse.

Its progress is significant with Peterborough currently starting its own domestic abuse campaign - Peterborough says no more.

PETERBOROUGH SAYS NO MORE ARTICLES

Domestic abuse campaign update. Photo: PA

The bill, if passed in its current format, will also do the following:

. Establish in law the office of Domestic Abuse Commissioner and set out the commissioner's functions and powers

. Place a duty on councils in England to provide support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation

. Ban alleged perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their alleged victims in person in the civil and family courts in England and Wales

. Create a statutory presumption that victims of domestic abuse are eligible for special measures in the criminal, civil and family courts

. Enable domestic abuse offenders to be subject to polygraph testing as a condition of their licence following their release from custody

. Provide that all eligible homeless victims of domestic abuse automatically have priority need for homelessness assistance.

Its website - https://www.cambsdasv.org.uk/website/home - lists places victims can receive support, as well as online training and resources.

Local contacts

All the below accept self-referrals:

. Cambridge Women's Aid (City/South/East) 01223 361214 www.cambridgewa.org.uk

. Refuge (Fenland/Hunts/Peterborough) 07787 255821 www.refuge.org.uk

. Peterborough Women's Aid 08454 103123 http://www.peterboroughwomensaid.co.uk/

. Cambridge Rape Crisis 01223 245888 www.caprcp.org.uk

. Peterborough Rape Crisis 01733 852578 www.caprcp.org.uk

. The Elms Sexual Assault Referral Centre 0800 193 5434 www.theelmssarc.org

. Victim & Witness Hub 0800 781 6818 https://www.cambsvictimservices.co.uk/support-for-victims/victims-and-witness-hub.

Search This Blog

Antipolygraph