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FACILITIES MANAGEMENT


LOSS PREVENTION WITH AFFORDABLE AND ADVANCED AIRPORT-QUALITY SECURITY TECHNOLOGY


Preventing theft of small, high-value items from businesses is a growing problem in premises from factories to distribution hubs, stores, and data centres. Advanced technology solutions adopted successfully in the aviation industry and now available for commercial enterprises can offer a solution.


components like processor ICs, office consumables purchased for use within the company, or valuable data copied onto media such as memory cards or pen drives and taken off the company premises. Smuggling of media devices can be a particular hazard in enterprises such as data centres and financial institutions. Some of the more extreme cases include the theft of waste precious metals, such as gold parts or material taken from processes such as jewellery manufacturing. Detection can be very difficult, and thefts may accumulate for years before any discrepancies come to light. Handling thefts like these is a delicate


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matter. Investigation is necessary both financially and to preserve the goodwill of honest workers. Companies must ensure any communication is carefully worded and only use techniques such as surveillance and searches in accordance with the law. Prevention is better than cure. By detecting


stolen items before they are removed from the premises, companies can improve both their stock loss figures and team morale. Simply knowing that effective measures are in place can be enough to deter many would-be thieves. Several techniques have been used over the years, to help tackle the issue, but most still expose significant drawbacks.


n total, businesses are reckoned to lose about £200 million of manufactured products and purchased inventory per year to employee theft. Any item can be the target, such as cosmetics, or designer goods, raw materials, high-value engineering


DETECTION TECHNIQUES Metal detectors, installed at strategic locations such as exits, can be highly visible and thus act as a deterrent. However, their effectiveness is limited and the systems – of course – are unable to detect non-metallic items. The detector can be a large walk-through system or a handheld wand for manual screening. If wands are to be used, extra staff may need to be engaged and trained to perform security checks. Surveillance cameras can offer an


alternative, although images must be monitored continuously and there are complex legal conditions. Covert filming of employees is not permitted and the reasons for filming must be made clear as it’s unlawful to use CCTV footage for purposes other than those explained. The effects on honest employees must also be considered. Employing security staff to inspect baggage and perform body searches, such as pat- downs, is generally undesirable; not to mention unlikely to detect extremely small or well-hidden objects. Other security scanning techniques include


X-ray equipment. Although widely used to scan baggage at locations such as airports, this is not acceptable for routine people screening and proper measures would be needed to protect security staff against excessive exposure to X-rays. People screening with millimetre wave equipment has been shown to be effective in situations such as airport security checking. The low energy waves can detect all objects including non-metallic materials hidden beneath clothing. Scanning is non-invasive and protects privacy – no


body images are collected or seen. Pose-and-go scanning is fast and easy, allowing rapid throughput, and the waves are non-ionizing and therefore harmless to organic tissue. Millimetre-wave scanners can be used to


detect all sorts of small items that are otherwise easily hidden. Businesses can now expect a faster return after investing in millimetre-wave equipment, particularly when protecting high- value items, as the technology has matured, and various differentiated systems have arrived in the market. The R&S QPS201 (Quick Personnel Security) and more recently developed R&S QPS Walk2000 scanners from Rohde & Schwarz provide an example. These systems comprise a static transceiver


array, embedded in a large panel, that is equipped with many individual emitters and receivers distributed across the surface area. The panel can be plain or any colour, or digitally printed, and the person to be scanned needs to stand in front for just a few seconds. The transceiver array performs the scan


42 OCTOBER 2024 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS


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