There will come a time for every parent when they have to consider leaving their child at home alone.  This often raises many concerns, in particular it poses the question of when is my child old enough, and what does the law state? There are no clear or defined answers to these questions, the law in the UK does not set a minimum age.  It is however, an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk (NSPCC). This is not necessarily the case for other countries around the world so it is advisable that you contact your local authority or children’s services to get the correct information.

By weighing up the following factors you can make a clear judgement about whether or not your child is ready to be left home alone:

• Can they be trusted to go straight home after school?
• Can they easily use the telephone, locks, and kitchen appliances?
• Can they follow rules and instructions well?
• Can they handle unexpected situations without panicking?
• Are they aware of potential dangers in and around the home?

EFFECTIVE GUIDELINES

When you decide that your child is ready to stay at home alone, it is imperative that they are given clear guidelines and that they are able to follow rules without question. They need to be aware that not only are they responsible for keeping themselves safe but that they are also responsible for keeping their home secure. Once you have set the ground rules, you need to make sure that your child understands them and agrees to them, and whilst you are away keep a written set of the rules placed somewhere in clear view for your child to refer to. For example:

• Check in with a neighbour immediately on your return from school.
• Never let anyone (other than those advised) know that you are home alone.
• Do not answer the door or the phone (Unless otherwise advised ie.. a family member or close friend).
• Lock the doors so that no-one can enter the house.
• Do not leave any windows open.
• Do not use any of the kitchen appliances.
• Carry a house key with you at all times and keep in a safe place.
• No friends to be allowed in the house.

A list of emergency contacts should also be included.

SAFETY MEASURES

The use of CCTV within the home is now commonplace and a really effective way of monitoring what is happening in your absence, giving you the peace of mind that both your family and your home are secure.  As technology evolves, new products become available and with the introduction of the smart phone and its ever-increasing features, it is possible to download apps that send information and images straight to your phone.  IP CCTV is another technology that is being installed in many homes and much like the “Nanny cam”- so called because of its use by parents to keep an eye on their child carers- it’s a simple device that is installed within the home and can be accessed from a laptop, PC or phone from any location.  These systems can be installed either in view or discreetly, which can be particularly useful if there is a suspicion of inappropriate behaviour.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

There may be times when your child needs to be outside of the home whilst you are away, particularly going to or returning from school and it is at these times that your child needs to be aware of their surroundings and consider any possible dangers or situations where they might be putting themselves at risk. Try to find a reliable neighbour who is aware that your child will be at home alone. Ask them to keep a discreet eye on your home (and your child) and to call if they suspect anything inappropriate is occurring. This is another example where CCTV can be an effective tool.  It can monitor the comings and goings of your child and highlight any other suspicious activity that may be occurring in and around your home.  Not only does it allow you to keep track of what is happening in your absence, but it also acts as a great deterrent for unwanted visitors.

Modern mobile phones have a GPS (Global Positioning System) on-board and it is now possible to purchase software or apps that will enable you to keep track of your child’s mobile keeping you notified of their whereabouts at all times.

CONCLUSION

Leaving a child at home alone should not be a time for anxiety and concern; it is a part of growing up and should be a positive experience.  There are so many technologies today that can aid this transition, allowing both the parents and child to feel confident about their security.

ABOUT C-HQ

c-hq provides effective technical advice based on the understanding of your threats, the associated hazards and their potential. We provide advice and guidance for the security of people and property.  Whether personal, commercial or industrial, c-hq have the solution.

]]> http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/securing-your-family-home-alone/feed/ 0 http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/charity-jailbreak-challenge/ http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/charity-jailbreak-challenge/#comments Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:34:54 +0000 c-hq security services http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/?p=1597 Consultants from Sussex-based c-hq security services who design prison and custodial installations found themselves on the wrong side of the bars in a fundraising jailbreak organised by Crimestoppers.

The jailbreak took place at the Old Police Cells Museum in Brighton, Sussex, and at the time of writing the event has raised £3,000 in total for the museum and for Crimestoppers which are both independent charities that rely on donations.

c-hq staff raced around the county by train solving clues that finally allowed them to spring a colleague from a Victorian cell at the museum which was the main Brighton Borough police station from 1830 to 1967.

Martin Grigg, a director of c-hq, said: “Modern police and prison staff benefit from technological advances such as PSIM, CCTV, PIDS and video analytics. But in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries they had to rely on their wits and basic access control measures. This was a case of gamekeepers-turned-poachers for c-hq, and Chief Inspector Bruce Matthews must have been surprised when he was asked to handcuff me since I’ve worked with him at custodial facilities.”

He continued: The event has been a great bonding exercise for all the teams but none of us would have wanted to do time in the cells. The museum pays tribute to the achievements of police in this area and I was struck by exhibits showing how Irish Republican Patrick Magee was convicted of the 1984 Grand Hotel bombing during the Conservative Party conference in the town.”

In 2010/11 a total of 8,264 people were arrested and charged as a result of information received by Crimestoppers and drugs seizures exceeded £25m.

c-hq security services are independent security consultants who provide objective, system-agnostic advice on closed circuit television, electronic access control and perimeter intruder detection.

We would like to thanks our sponsors for their kind support.

Data Destruction is the process of removing data from an electronic storage device and making it unrecoverable. This vital process protects your private information from being reconstructed and used in a malicious way.

You may be surprised to learn that simply deleting a file does not necessarily remove it from your system. There are several methods to securely delete files and this article discusses the various steps that you can take to protect yourself, your company and your private information.

simply deleting a file does not necessarily remove it .

WHY DO I NEED DATA DESTRUCTION?

Sensitive data may include bank account details, passwords, personal information, commercial and security information or even information relating to national defence. Whatever the nature of the data, it is important to ensure that it is secure; even after it has been deleted.

Most offices have a paper shredder and it is now common practice to shred anything containing personal information, why then do we not take the same precautions when removing files digitally. If your mobile laptop or tablet computer are lost or stolen it may be possible for someone to recover the deleted files using standard off the shelf file recovery software.

Simply deleting data does not permanently remove that information from the storage device, file information is kept in a directory on the hard disk and when a file is deleted, that file is removed from the directory only and marked as available space leaving the original data in place to be overwritten.

WHAT HOLDS MY DATA?

Your computer’s hard drive isn’t the only device that can hold sensitive Information. Other electronic equipment may hold sensitive data and even though it has been deleted, it may be recoverable.

Smart phones can hold as much important information as a computer. They often store bank account details, emails, contact information and social media applications.

Many smart phones have a reset function built in to the system that will remove all data from the phone. However it may not securely format the drive. Much the same as a computer’s hard drive, the deleted files will be marked as available space but are still recoverable. The solution is to use the overwriting method by formatting the phone and repeatedly filling the hard drive with large files such as podcasts and movies. This has to be done manually and can be very time consuming. The more times this is repeated, the harder the data recovery will become.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PRIVATE INFORMATION

There are several ways you can permanently remove data depending on the recording medium used:

Overwriting works by replacing your data with random text, it repeats this task many times. Each overwrite is known as a pass. It is a popular and relatively low-cost option; however the more times that the information is overwritten the more secure the deletion but also the more time consuming. A very time consuming technique is “The Gutmann Method”, which is widely considered to be the most secure method by overwriting the data thirty five times with carefully selected data patterns. However the United States Department of Defence recommends that data should be overwritten only seven times. This has a decreased level of security but is much faster than the Gutmann Method and  therefore more efficient.

Degaussing is a method of removing the magnetic fields from a hard disk or any other magnetic storage device. This method removes all data and often renders the hard disk inoperable. This can become very costly to replace hard disks but it is a good solution for out of date computers that are being discarded. Solid state hard drives and optical media devices such as CDs and DVDs do not rely on magnetic fields to store data so degaussing will not have any effect on these.

Physical destruction is simply destroying the device that holds information through force. This is the best method for low cost storage devices especially CDs, DVDs and USB memory sticks.

The Gutmann Method is widely considered to be the most secure method by overwriting the data thirty five times.

Information stored and deleted on an encrypted disk remains unreadable as data is stored in characters that can only be read by having the correct password to decrypt the hard drive making the information readable again. Without this password, deleted files remain as secure as the encryption used.

CONCLUSION

Physical destruction of storage devices is possibly the only way to completely remove information, however this is often not a feasible solution. You should evaluate the sensitivity of the data and determine an appropriate destruction procedure dependant on the level of security, cost and time available. Whichever method you choose, please remember that once deleted, data may be able to be recovered.

]]> http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/electronic-data-destruction/feed/ 0 http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/secure-data-disposal-physical/ http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/secure-data-disposal-physical/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:50 +0000 Zac Simmonds http://www.chqconsulting.co.uk/?p=1532

Nearly 80% of all information theft occurs offline

[BBC Radio 4 report]

As an organisation in the UK you are required under the Data Protection Act 1998 to have a robust policy covering the storage and disposal of data. However there are many different methods and standards of secure data disposal, similar regulations are in place worldwide.

This article intends to provide an insight into the varying methods and standards of physical data disposal and guidance for a proportional solution to your needs.

The fundamental purpose of secure data disposal is to discard hard copy information whilst maintaining the integrity of the data contained within it .Generally this means mechanical destruction. There are many forms of mechanical destruction that vary in capability starting from the most basic strip cut systems to grinders that disintegrate the data. The effectiveness of shredders is measured by the size and randomness of the cut and the amount of documents that it can process.

SHREDDER TYPES

• Strip-cut most common solution cutting long strips
• Cross-cut shredders use two contra-rotating drums to cut specific -shapes
• Particle-cut shredders create tiny square or circular pieces.
• Disintegrators repeatedly cutting the paper at random until the particles are small enough to pass through a mesh.
• Hammermills pound the paper through a screen.
• Pierce and Tear Rotating blades pierce the paper apart.
• Grinders rotating shaft with cutting blades grinds the paper until it is small enough to pass through mesh.

This article sets out to discuss some of the more basic issues related to cyber stalking and bullying. It differentiates these crimes from corporate or government cybercrime in that this article is intended to help individuals.

Cyber-crime has many challenges to overcome in order to prevent it or apprehend perpetrators. With the ever changing landscape of social media and advances in computing technology, the cyber-criminal adapts to find new ways to intimidate. It is important to remember that to protect ourselves, we must adapt as well.

METHODS OF INTIMIDATION

Identity theft – With a few simple details such as name and address a criminal can impersonate you. Given a date of birth and a password, the cyber-criminal can wreakhavoc by setting up online shopping accounts, interfere with online banking and hack in to social media accounts.

Data Attack – An unprotected computer and network provides a criminal with access to your data such as personal photos, letters, hobbies and interests. The data can be manipulated or destroyed or even read and used against a victim.

Scare tactics – A cyber-stalker hides behind the internet and to many this means that they are elusive and untouchable. By issuing threats and manipulating personal accounts, the bully seams powerful.

False accusation – A cyber-stalker may make false accusation via social media or free access web sites to try and incite others to abuse the victim. Adult content sites and accusations of paedophilic activity are common techniques for damaging the reputation of a victim.

There are many other known techniques that a cyber-stalker may employ from false victimisation to GPS tracking. E-bombs will swamp your inbox with junk e-mail and micro cameras can record your activity. The YouTube Nation means that getting information broadcast is relatively easy.

HOW THEY TRACK YOU

The methods of information gathering employed by cyber-criminals are broad ranging. There are many free access websites that already post personal information about you for anybody to see. People tracing sites list your last registered address along with the people that lived with you at the time. These sites also track your social media activity and any information that you may have posted such as photographs and blogs. Other websites such as property sites will declare when you bought your house and how much you paid for it. The cyber-criminal treats information like a jigsaw. The more pieces they have the bigger and clearer the picture becomes.

Phishing, key logging and spyware are all software applications that once installed on your computer can create a constant stream of your personal information to the outside world. These applications can be implanted by a seemingly innocent but rogue e-mail.

The cyber-criminal is not guaranteed to stay online. The area between cyber-stalker and stalker is grey. More serious accounts involve close contact tactics such as card skimming, GPS tracking and filming to gain information and intimidate their victims.

PROTECTING YOURSELF

Protection against the cyber-criminal is a difficult subject to address because of shifting technology on the internet. There are three basic avenues of protection. The first is doing what you can to defend yourself from cyber intrusion. Secondly, if you are being stalked there are additional measures that you can take. The third is information gathering. If you are being bullied or stalked then proving the crime is often quite difficult.

VIGILANCE

• Password protect all of your accounts – use complex passwords
• Don’t use the same password for all accounts
• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software
• Keep security software regularly updated
• Use advanced security settings
• Remember, if it’s on the internet and free it’s because you are the product
• Don’t carry security details in your wallet
• Be suspicious of unsolicited contact
• Be suspicious of unusual contact or content
• Never give out detail unless you are absolutely sure of integrity
• Regularly reset your passwords and PIN numbers
• Monitor your account activity
• Reset passwords if used on an unknown computer
• Be cautious of using geo-location services on your mobile phone
• Keep work and family activity separate
• Use encryption software to store data
• If you are suspicious, act quickly

SHUT THE GATES

• Reset all passwords and PIN numbers
• Check security software settings
• Create new e-mail and social media accounts
• Minimise use of cordless phones, baby monitors etc.
• Replace your mobile phone
• Review encryption software
• Regularly check your credit rating
• Regularly search your name on the internet

EVIDENCE GATHERING

It is critical to record times, dates and events by keeping a diary but to help the criminal investigation it is important to gather primary evidence. This is evidence gathered as close as possible to the source. There are electronic devices that can connect to your computer that record the time and date along with everything that happens on screen and everything that you enter on the keyboard. Software applications can indicate sources of malicious data through such techniques as e-mail and IP address tracing.

CONCLUSION

Protection is necessary to defend yourself from cyber-crime. Simple, user friendly tools and vigilance will go a long way to keeping you safe. If you are suspicious of a crime being committed then act quickly to alert the authorities, increase your defences and seek professional advice. Information gathering is key to resolving the issue. A crime without evidence is difficult to stop.

ABOUT C-HQ

c-hq provides effective technical advice based on the understanding of your threats, the associated hazards and their potential. We provide advice and guidance for the security of people and property, critical national infrastructure and the high security estate.

PSIM as a concept emerged because end user managers of security environments cried out for better management of their security information. They wanted to be able to do with security data what every other business unit does with the data from their respective business units – that is, to make intelligent business decisions.

PSIM is a better, more flexible and much more useful way of managing security events and the information needed to respond to incidents than traditional command centre solutions.

PSIM is simply the security version of the larger, more important business tool of Information Management.

THE CHALLENGE

Currently, improvisational, fragmented and off-the-cuff security management is the norm. It’s common to find security operations and traditional command-and-control centres using paper-based processes and not sharing information. Business units and IT departments rarely have access to data in corporate security departments. Events are managed separately.

Access-control-related events are monitored and managed separately from intrusion detection systems, and separate also from environmental sensors and other alerting systems. Often the people and systems are not even located in the same facility, inhibiting information sharing and correlation.

THE CONSIDERATIONS

Converged security and IT networks need to be managed to mitigate any risk of negative impact through the flood of data induced by an IP CCTV system.

Ensuring interoperability across different vendors’ devices/systems is a challenge. The physical security market as a whole lacks common, open standards. Thus, virtually, any deployment requires the development of new drivers to integrate various systems.

Choosing the right system. The capability to intelligently analyse and cross-reference incoming data represents a further challenge, most PSIM systems, still process individual alarms.

THE BENEFITS

PSIM principles may be used to produce better situational awareness, prompting better security and business decisions. Situation management software creates useful information out of raw video by contextualizing it (unifying video, alarm and sensor data) which improves situational awareness and makes incident responses more efficient.

Data management best practices are more pervasive now. Regulatory compliance and management best practices dictate that computer systems and data be handled in standardized ways. Security departments are, in general, not compliant with these best practices.

The PSIM system will aggregate, correlate and analyse data from various sources, including alarms, environmental sensors, intrusion-detection systems and video surveillance to ….

• Present a situational view of data.
• Guide standard operating procedures by documenting efficient best practices for every situation.
• Identify trends by searching through data from current and past events to create reports.
• Audit operator behaviour by recording all responses to all alerts for later analysis.

Technology as a Solution

Present a situational view of data.

Guide standard operating procedures by documenting efficient best practices for every situation.

CONCLUSION

Physical Security Information Management systems provide specific security information based on intelligent analysis of data from a range of sensors from what would traditionally be disparate systems. It enables an organisation to manage risk and ensure that standard procedures are carried out at an enterprise level.

ABOUT C-HQ

c-hq provides effective technical advice based on the understanding of your threats, the associated hazards and their potential. Working in line with CPNI guidelines, we provide advice and guidance for the security of people and property, critical national infrastructure and the high security estate.

We provide support in the development and the design of your system. Producing schematics, schedules, interac-tion matrices and configuration tables as well as compliancy documentation and commercial selection.

An effective protection system protects more than just assets, it protects a business.

I was recently asked which biometric technology I thought was most reliable. This is a relatively easy question to answer until I considered the wider issues of using it as a form of identification for access management and then trying to work out which technology is best.

Physical biometric identifiers are the distinctive and measurable characteristics used to identify individuals such as facial recognition, fingerprints, palm vein, iris and retina patterns etc.

The reliability of a technology tends to be the inverse of the social acceptance of that technology. Fingerprints are socially accepted with some resistance from those that associate them with criminal behaviour but they have a relatively high false positive or rejection rate. Which may be fine on a small access control system to a comms room but in an airport with thousands of passengers passing through on an hourly basis, a high percentage failure rate is unacceptable. Facial recognition is quite uncontroversial but equally has relatively high failure rates.

It is generally regarded that eye scans are the most reliable form of biometrics. However, technology such as iris and retina scanning appears to have more social resistance due to its perceived intrusive nature. For this reason iris scanning is now more prevalent than the deeper retina scan. The reliability of iris scanning was born out in a study carried out by the National Physics Laboratory some years ago, where is competed against six other technologies and won with the best false match and rejection ratios.

The problem is compounded by the fact that biometric systems provide”probabilistic results”. It is possible to get variable results due to technical issues and degradation of data, such as fingerprint damage for example. There is also evidence of ethnicity, age, sex and medical conditions affecting rejection rates. Having poorly installed and maintained systems combined with the deployment of biometric technology at airports and other high volume portals without understanding the biology of the population being screened could lead to long queues.

In conclusion, no single biometric trait has been identified as fully stable or distinctive and biometric reading technology should only be deployed with this in mind. False positives and reject rates need to be considered in line with the number and the biology of the users of the system.

EFFICIENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

There is push to higher levels of cost effectiveness in the spend on prison systems. This is not just in terms of capital spend but overall running efficiency of the Establishment with a reduction in the number of system operators a clear requirement. System designs have to be dove tailed into the prison management procedures and a fully consultative approach is required to ensure that the design supports a lean operation.
Prison Officers are responsible for ensuring and maintaining security. Concerns have been raised about the relative lack of training and experience of prison officers working in the private sector, compared to officers employed by the Prison Service. Some have said that prison officers in the private sector lack sufficient training and experience and argue that this is a risk to prisoner safety. There are concerns within the prison system as a whole that there are too few prison officers to ensure the safety of prisoners and the security of institutions. Increasingly, prisons have sought to cut costs by replacing staff with electronic monitoring. [1]
The number of offenders in prison in the UK reached a record high of 87,749 prisoners on 5th November 2011. The prison population in England and Wales has increased steadily over the past century and surpassed 80,000 for the first time in December 2006. On 22nd February 2008 the total population exceeded the useable operational capacity of the prison estate for the first time in history. [2]
This level of prison occupation can only be managed through the innovative use of technology combined with training strategies that ensures that each Prison Officer takes full advantage of the tools and processes available. On-going review and training is essential to maintain security, efficiency and cost effectiveness of the Establishment.

The number of offenders in prison in the UK reached a record high of 87,749 prisoners on 5th November 2011.

On-going review and training is essential to maintain security, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

GIANT MACHINES MOVE SLOWLY

c-hq have experienced a slow rate of adoption of new technologies from risk averse customer bases such as the Public Sector Prison Service. Some public sector workers that have the responsibility for decision making will opt for “what has been tried and tested” rather than embrace new technology to introduce efficiencies. However, the increasing involvement of the private sector is injecting fresh and innovative thinking that the prison authorities do need to update standards to reflect current practices in the electronic security field.

it is possible to drive down costs and improve efficiency across both the public and private sector prisons.

LEADING RATHER THAN BLEEDING EDGE

A word of caution to the decision makers is that we remain constantly surprised by the amount of product that is released with insufficient testing. Often equipment does not do what it says on the box. It is very difficult to establish what is “good to go” and what is “bleeding edge”. Greater investment in beta testing must be made and manufacturers must avoid the temptation to just get the product out there. c-hq provide a due diligence service to minimise these risks but even so we recommend caution when adopting new technology that is making great claims.

WE HAVE STANDARDS

The Ministry of Justice maintain a vast library of standards to be applied to security systems and technology deployed in our prisons but there is a poor discipline in standard enforcement.
In the current economic climate, cost is taking a dominant role in procurement decisions. Often installers win work by installing equipment that does not meet the standards and unless there is a consultant with specialist knowledge overseeing the project these non-compliances are unwittingly accepted. This ultimately results in loss of standards control and systems having to be replaced prematurely when the non-compliance is noted and becomes an issue. Although we have already alluded to the fact that the standards need updating, we strongly believe that the standards are critical to ensuring consistent quality in security installations. Although alternative technology may well produce similar results to the ones specified, the standards have been produced with the knowledge of years of experience and expertise. We usually find that there is a rational explanation for what may initially seem to be an irrational standard.

MEETING THE STANDARDS DRIVES UP COST

There is a limited pool of specialist manufacturers that manufacture to the Ministry Standards. The unique environment has driven a small number of specialist manufacturers to develop tailor made solutions for the custodial sector. This does lead to limited number of providers from which to select solutions. The investment of the major manufacturers in small adaptations to existing products to suit this sector would provide greater choice to the designer and enhance cost efficiency for the customer.

INNOVATION WITHOUT RISK

c-hq believe that with a focused concentration on the technology standards that already exist within the Ministry of Justice, it is possible to drive down costs and improve efficiency across both the public and private sector prisons.
Gareth, Kevin and Martin are directors of Sussex-based c-hq security services. They have wealth of combined experience in the security industry and their backgrounds cover many aspects of electrical engineering. c-hq security services are an independent specialist security technology and resilience consultancy practice with a demonstrable track record in successful prison and custodial applications. The practice’s other core competence areas include Ministry of Defence, critical national infrastructure (CNI) and corporate facilities.

[1] Politics.co.uk – Prison Officers Article sourced December 2011
[2] House of Commons Library -Prison Population Statistics Standard Note SN/SG/4334

Although there have been several initiatives where metal recyclers have collaborated with the police there is no strong legislation in place to stop the flow of stolen metal. The starting point is to identify the different types of metal crime.

• Bulk material theft – stored
• Bulk material theft – in use
• Salvage – roof lead, brass memorials, grates, catalytic converters etc.
• Stock theft – metal suppliers

Each category can be protected with a tailored security plan that is bespoke to its situation.

DETER, DELAY & DETECT

• Signs that warn of forensic marking are a good deterrent and should be prominently displayed.
• Hardened perimeters and caged equipment deter or delay theft.
• Detection and Response will reduce theft and protect assets.

GOOD ADVICE

• Where possible keep gates locked and restrict vehicle
• Remove any means of transporting metal away, such as wheelie bins and wheelbarrows
• Consider planting prickly shrubs around the perimeter fence
• Review the security of perimeter fencing and gates on a regular basis.
• Store ladders in a safe place.
• Consider applying anti-climb paint to drainpipes and roof guttering.
• Redesign grounding straps to reduce exposed copper.
• Cage air conditioners to prevent coil theft
• Use forensic security-marking products to mark metal goods to link thieves to a crime scene.

This crime is no longer just about churches falling victim to the theft of lead from roofs.

In today’s economic climate, metal thefts are on the increase. Thieves are not just targeting the obvious lead and copper but steel, aluminium and precious metals in other items such as platinum, palladium and rhodium within catalytic converters.

Technology as Prevention

Perimeter Intrusion Detection (PIDS)Secure compounds supported with CCTV for video verification and audio challenge will provide detection and displacement of miscreant activity.

Varying technology from microphonic sensors to fibre optic detection systems can be deployed around or even alongside large lengths of material such as power and signalling cable. Such systems can detect in kilometres with acute accuracy as to where the breach has occurred.

Automated CCTV

Monitored CCTV systems that require expensive operators watching vast arrays of screens are no longer necessary to get effective CCTV. It can even be argued that operators are a weak link in the detection process.

Automated CCTV with intelligent video analytics can detect, monitor and track activity before alerting an operator to initiate a response. This technology can make decisions based on probability to ensure that the operator only receives valid information. This enables large and wide area systems to me monitored efficiently with minimal nuisance events.

Asset Tracking

GPS tracking technology is no longer cost prohibitive on multiple assets. Tagged assets can alert when they leave a predefined area which means that metal can travel between sites but  alarm if it deviates from the area.

Technology can bolt on to existing infrastructure such as dark fibre, IT networks, remote monitoring etc.

By using spare fibre cores in an existing track side communications cable a system can be deployed to detect suspect activity. GPS co-ordinates of these situations can locate and identify multiple events along the entire sensor fibre to sub 5m point ID

Gareth will be developing the contract management capabilities of the business. One of the biggest areas of growth is the management of COMT (commissioning, operation, maintenance and training.)

Gareth is an electrical engineer by profession and served his apprenticeship in Portsmouth Naval Base. His work on dry land started with project tender, design and management at Drake & Scull. From here, he progressed to Chubb Electronic Security where he managed the integrated systems division and was responsible for the design and installation of security systems for a number of PFI new-build prisons.

He comes to ch-q after a board-level role with Reliance High-Tech where he set up an operational division which delivered integrated electronic security solutions for utility, infrastructure and custodial projects. During his time with the company, turnover grew from £7m to £21.5m.

Initially, Gareth will focus on client-facing programme management for c-hq drawing on niche experience. His track-record includes being a lead member of a team which won a major Channel Tunnel contract and he will be looking to expand c-hq’s work on transport hubs. (The consultancy team has conducted a penetration security audit for a major UK airport.) Milestone projects on Gareth’s CV include biometric access control during the construction phase of the Olympic Park in Stratford, London, and security measures at UK Border Agency facilities in London Gatwick Airport.

Gareth was born in Plymouth and lives in Portsmouth so his nautical background is strong. He sails a 21-foot yacht out of Portsmouth and regularly circuits the Isle of Wight with wife Claire and teenage daughters Kate and Bronwyn as crew. He is also a serious cyclist and once rode 110 miles to a business meeting as part of fundraising by the Wellcome Trust.