The Sunday Mail
Focus on private security practice and loss control
Introduction
The practice of loss control and management is as old as the history of mankind. It is commonly referred to as security and risk management and most practitioners have identified themselves as private security gurus. This scope of the term “security and risk management” has functional limitations which are outlined in this article.
The first thing a human being cries for immediately upon arrival on this mother earth, without any personal possession, is safety and security. Safety and security are elements of loss control and management practiced by every person in many forms which range from protection against personal physical injury, psychological harm, and loss of life to partial or complete dispossession and disablement.
Security and safety are fundamental and basic needs to any human being and even animals. However the ultimate issue is centred on fear of losing resources or capacity that enables personal of institutional capacity to function or exist.
Loss management is therefore the ultimate goal of security and safety management. Industry and commerce has chosen the use of the term “loss control and management” for systems that are employed in addressing its security and safety needs. ICLM has therefore adopted the same in crafting its training curriculum and professional development programmes.
The term is considered appropriate for its inclusivity and precise approach in addressing training and development needs of the business sector.
In their interaction and working as social groups, communities, business organisations or States human beings create conditions which change the nature and complexity of the loss control and management environment.
States have overall responsibility and obligation for provision of public security through maintenance of National Defence and Public Law and Order. States are further obliged to facilitate and guarantee availability of infrastructure that allows for the operation of private security and safety management service and an environment within which citizens can access it.
Security and safety risks, threats and exposures are dynamic and always change in positive correlation to changes in environmental conditions. Cyber-space is an example of the latest change in environmental condition, influenced by technology, which has emerged in recent times and has already affected the operation of public and private loss control and management systems.
The need for a paradigm shift in the way loss control and management practitioners respond to threats posed by the ever changing environmental conditions is inevitable. This article examines the professional and legal framework of loss control and management with special focus on Zimbabwe and how practitioners within the industry have responded or are responding to the changing environment.
Loss control and management as an occupation
The existence of loss control and management, as an occupation carried out in exchange for reward, dates back to ancient times and has evolved over the years starting as service provided by night watchman to the present state where it stands as a discipline, organised practice and profession.
Loss control and management systems continue to develop largely in response to dynamics of social relations and complexities of the ever changing socio-economic, knowledge and technology environment.
These developments have attracted the need for new forms of private and national security and safety systems. Current trends in business operation are driving the convergence of security and safety as separate systems into one loss control and management system through knowledge integration and functional approach.
Discussion in this article focuses on security, risk and safety as key elements of loss control and management. National Security and Law and Order are the domain of the national security sector whose discussion is better reserved for the relevant authorities.
The overall functional objective of private loss control and management systems should place emphasis on holistic rather than the traditional fragmented approach which tend to separate and treat security, safety and risk as though they are divorced from each other.
A holistic approach zeros on all aspects that have focus on and ultimate goal of managing or controlling loss and is more appropriate for all organisations and in small economies like Zimbabwe.
The benefit of the holistic approach arises from allowing organisations the opportunity to designate only one functional office which can have a conceptual view of the loss control and management goal and take overall accountability for its achievement.
The common goal of loss control and management systems remains management of loss hence systems integration should be considered an appropriate approach. Loss is the consequence of organisation exposure to the impact of employee behaviour, ineffective management decisions, operational challenges and influence of external variables on organisations.
Loss control and management is fast developing and growing as a profession and economic sector contributing immensely to national income and employment. Research has produced relevant and useful loss control and management literature which is extensively published.
World over the loss control and management sector is adopting code of ethics, constitutional, regulatory, standardised training and qualification framework to fulfil the requirement for its professional status.
Security, Risk and Safety management are the key components which should are embraced and treated as specialised areas of the profession just like cardiology, physiology, serology, urology etc. are specialised areas of the medical profession.
