Effective Railway Security Options
Railyards and railways are constantly threatened by criminals. Some want to vandalize property, some want to steal items from shipping containers and cargo trains, and some want to destabilize the supply chain and harm national infrastructure. For all these reasons and many more, it is crucial to use effective railway security options to prevent crimes.
Choosing the right tools for railway security is vital. Not all security options are created equal, and this is a task that you want to make sure is handled properly.
The Steps Towards Finding the Right Railway Security
To find the right type of railway security and railyard protection, there are several steps that you will want to go through. The first of these steps is to conduct a thorough risk assessment. This means looking at the property and determining the threats and risks associated with it.
This includes thinking about the specifics of your unique property. Each location is different and there will be certain security threats that may only apply to your location, your layout, or the nature of goods or assets that are stored on your site. Try looking at your location through the eyes of a criminal. If you were going to break into your property, how would you do it and what would you be targeting? Remember, criminals do not care about property damage. They will cut through fences, break through gates, or do anything else necessary to get into a site.
Once you know what threats and risks your location faces, you can start to plan a solution to protect your railyard.
The next step is to think about how you are going to incorporate security policies and methods with the day-to-day workflow at the site. While you certainly want to protect the property, you do not want to end up in a position where the security setup makes it difficult, inconvenient, or incredibly time-consuming to get work done. For instance, if your security protocol requires everyone to spend a large amount of time going through several lengthy checkpoints each time they enter the area, this could disrupt the flow of activity and reduce productivity. Balancing security with practicality is very important.
Another crucial consideration is how the different aspects of your railway security setup will work with one another. At a railyard, there are often gates, fences, and other physical security tools along with technologies such as alarms, CCTV cameras, and much more. There are also people on the property, which could include staff as well as onsite security guards. How all of these aspects work together is crucial.
You will want to get a “big picture” view of everything. Who is responsible for each aspect of your security? How do these different aspects function together? What chain of command is in place? If your systems don’t work together and if there aren’t clear roles defined in terms of who is in charge, who performs what duties, who should be contacted if there is an issue, etc. your system will be less efficient and less secure than it should be.
Using Live Remote Monitoring for Railway Security
A live remote monitoring system can provide you with the comprehensive and proactive railway security you need. With live monitoring, there are cameras, two-way speakers, and other security tools installed at the site. Experienced security agents can then use these tools to protect the property remotely.
Live monitoring agents can handle perimeter security, and access control and provide full live monitoring of the entire site. Unlike alarm systems or unmonitored cameras, agents can spot potential issues as they develop and react to stop suspicious activity (such as someone lurking around outside a gate) before they turn into crimes. Agents can also check identification at all entry points, verify identities, and only allow authorized persons onto the property.
Live remote monitoring agents can handle all aspects of a site’s security. They can monitor the perimeter, handle access control, keep track of people as they move throughout the site, call management or police in the event of an emergency, and much more. Agents can even monitor assets and assist with inventory controls. This means the system will be comprehensive and nothing will slip through the cracks.
For more information on live remote monitoring and to find out how it can provide the sort of strong railway security that is needed in today’s environment, please contact Birdseye Security Solutions today. Our team has the experience needed to get the job done right and provide you with the protection you need.