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Security

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The committee members of a community group or organisation responsible for the running of a community building (such as a village hall or community centre) will have a duty to ensure that the property is physically secure and well maintained.

Your group’s security measures should be based on the findings of a Risk Assessment carried out in relation to Health and Safety. The common security threats to any property would usually be:-

  • arson
  • vandalism
  • theft

Arson

The likelihood of arson will be determined by the nature of your building and where it is located. Your responses to this risk will depend on the number of volunteers you have available, whether the premises are occupied on a regular basis or just occasionally, who has access to the building etc..

Any security measures which address the risk of arson should be based on:-

  • detering unauthorised access onto the site
  • preventing unauthorised access into the building
  • reducing the opportunity for an arsonist to start a fire
  • reducing the scope for potential fire damage
  • reducing subsequent losses and disruption resulting from a fire

Some of the more obvious things that you can do to help reduce the risks of fire would be related to your own Fire Safety measures and might include:-

  • regularly emptying rubbish bins and positioning wheelie bins away from the building
  • safe and secure storage of any combustable items including cleaning fluids and any obvious materials that can accelerate a fire
  • keeping the place tidy
  • reviewing the position of your letterbox.  If it is positioned on the main door, consider re-positioning it to an outside wall or adding a metal box to the inside

Vandalism

Responses to vandalism do not always have to be heavy-handed. Before your committee responds with high level security measures, think about what you can do to find out who is causing the vandalism in your community and make use of the local police.

If your premises are located in a particularly vulnerable area you may have to consider a higher level of security. This could include:-

  • installing an intruder alarm system
  • security lighting – particularly external lighting with sensors (known as PIDs) activated by moving objects
  • closed circuit television (CCTV)

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) 

The use of CCTV systems must comply with the requirements set out in the Data Protection Act 1998. It is a criminal offence to use an unregistered CCTV system to record people in public or private place unless it meets certain criteria.  Should the recorded image be required and be relied upon in any criminal investigation, and if the image was obtained illegally, then that evidence is inadmissible. A guidance and information leaflet is available from the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) or at your local Police station.

Contact the Community Toolkit Editor

Conditions of Use
Last Updated 14/10/2011 15:12

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Contact the Community Toolkit Editor

Conditions of Use
Last Updated 14/10/2011 15:12

_uacct = “UA-829849-2″;urchinTracker();

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