Exploring enhanced — Opinion — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

Continued from yesterday

The ideas of state and people are closely related. Indeed, a classic definition of sovereignty (which is the key attribute of a state) is effective control over territory and population.

Nevertheless, it is crucial not to collapse the distinction between state security and personal security as some liberal political theorists try to do. In liberal political theory, the state not only belongs to the people but is in fact a creation of the people; it is the people’s government, the people’s law, the people’s army, the people’s police, the people’s courts and ultimately the people’s prisons and even the people’s gallows.

Therefore, in theory at least, the state cannot pose a threat to its own citizens whose personal interests are synonymous with state interests. For that theory to hold true, however, the coercive power of the state should be used as a last resort and as rarely as possible. In other words, the state is legitimate only in so far as its coercive power ‘affects most people marginally, negligibly, and indirectly, while its full might is meted out to a relatively small (and in principle) indefinite group of ‘law­breakers’.

In practice, however, security of the state does not always translate into security of the people in the way that liberal theory would like it to do. There are many states which are unable to provide personal security for their populations because they do not exercise effective control over all the territory within their jurisdiction — we often refer to these as `weak’ or ‘failed states’. There are also states which directly and purposefully threaten their own peoples in order to maintain control or fulfil ideological or economic goals. We often refer to these as ‘totalitarian’ or ‘police states’. If we collapse the distinction between security of the state and security of the people, we will not be able to adequately analyse circumstances like these.

Security science is an emerging academic discipline that brings together concepts into a structured body of knowledge. At its most simplistic, knowledge areas include security man­agement, security theories and principles, the built environment, and security risk manage­ment. These concepts can be expanded into an integrated framework that also includes business continuity, security technology, physical and personnel security, and industrial security (see Figure 1.3). Thus, context provides many parts of security with clear understand­ing of its operating boundaries, from which further consensus in a body of knowledge can be achieved.

Security education for enhanced performance and productivity
At organisational level Security Performance comprises the following three basic outputs: Effectiveness + Efficiency + Security personnel satisfaction.

Obtaining, employing and retaining suitable security personnel that would contribute to the effectiveness and (accomplishment of the tasks) and the efficiency (best possible utilisation of resources) of the security tasks and their lives is costly and requires, considerable effort.

Therefore, the employer of security has a very strong vested interest in ensuring that these human resources are utilised as effectively as possible. There is convincing evidence that some employee or personnel security are falling far short in making effective use of all the people they employ. To do this, the employer has to recognise that people are its most valuable asset.

They are not simply another factor of production for the achievement of short-term objectives. It should also be recognised that security personnel can become a reservoir of knowledge and skills, which must be nurtured and developed for the survival and future growth of the employer’s business in the constantly changing and increasingly complex security industry environment. Experience from some security organisations suggests that investments in people have resulted in substantial gains towards the achievement of the business strategic objectives.

There is no need to overemphasize the importance of “Getting the right people and getting the people right” but defining these twin concepts is a step further towards achieving increased security performance through people. “Getting the right people” means planned recruitment processes, which provide the security business with the best available talent, consistent with the needs of the security business and its capacity to make full use of those recruited. “Getting the people right” implies consistent policies and practices in training, retraining, educating and developing security staff and involving them as “partners” in the business rather than a functionary whose roles are restricted to obeying instructions.

Training is necessary to achieve improvements in work performance, particularly when the employer invest in new equipment, introduce new work procedures or redesign the workplace. Training takes place at a specific time and place; it is usually vocationally relevant and limited to specific aims and objectives. There are many examples of this particular activity area of Human Resources Development (HRD) either at security, enterprise, national or international level. Security training institutes all over the world offer on a routine or tailor-made basis specific job-related training both at management.

Education is a learning process that prepares people for a future job that may arise. It is important to recognise that immediate increased performance cannot be expected when education is used as a HRD intervention. Education takes place over a substantial but finite period of time, usually, leads to a qualification and may result in leading you to a new career direction. However, education has been correctly recognised by many stakeholders in the security industry as an important investment for the long-term future.

The greatest improvement in security efficiency will come about, not by applications of computers to security deployment, not because more fleet patrol vehicles have been engineered, and not due to new buildings. The greatest improvement in security department efficiency will ensure the very best of talent available from the nation’s man power pool, educating and training it to the limit of its capacity, and moving it up through the ranks as quickly as it is able to accept and discharge its responsibility.

This talent will bring undreamed increased in efficiency but with it, the greatest of headaches – for it will be merciless in eliminating archaic and poor attitude and practices, demanding the utmost of dedication and production of all members of the security team and mandating professional example in all aspects of the service. (Akinade, A., 2012).

This is not to depreciate those highly motivated security professionals who are currently exemplifying the finest ideals of service. This is to say that there is so great a need of them in the security service today that we must make maximum effort to recruit more and more men and women of the greatest capacity and character if we are to have impressive increases in efficiency. Certainly, as we approach the area of efficiency; we can identify major security goals: the prevention of crime and disorder, the preservation of peace; and the protection of life and property, and individual freedom.

To be continued tomorrow.
Being excerpts of a paper written by Akinade (+234 802 277 1818) bayoakinade@yahoo.co.uk