3. Personnel Security
Personnel security is a system of policies and procedures which seek to
manage the risk of staff (permanent, temporary or contract staff)
exploiting, or intending to exploit, their legitimate access to an
organisation's assets or premises for unauthorised purposes.
4. Although many organisations regard personnel security as an issue
resolved during the recruitment process, it is a discipline that needs to be
maintained throughout a member of staff’s time in employment.
This includes robust pre-employment screening, effective line
management, employee welfare, clear lines of communication, and a
strong security culture. It should also include a formal process for
managing staff leaving the business.
5. Personnel Security Measures
When applied consistently, personnel security measures not only reduce
operational vulnerabilities, they can also help build a hugely beneficial
security culture at every level of an organisation. Robust personnel
security helps organisations to employ reliable people;
Minimise the chances of staff becoming unreliable once they have been
employed;
Detect suspicious behaviour and resolve security concerns once they
emerge.
6. Risk Assessment
• Personnel security risk assessment focuses on individuals (be they
permanent employees, contractors, agency staff, etc.), their access to an
organisation's assets, the risks they could pose to the organisation and the
sufficiency of countermeasures.
• It should be the basis of any personnel security management process. It is
also crucial in helping security and human resources managers
communicate to senior managers the risks to which the organisation is
exposed.
7. Personnel security risk assessment helps Security and
Human Resource Managers to:
Conduct personnel security risk assessments in a way that balances
pragmatism with rigour;
prioritise the insider risks to an organisation;
Identify appropriate countermeasures to mitigate against those risks;
Allocate personnel security resources in a way that is cost effective and
commensurate with the level of risk.
