Welcome to the December-January issue of NZSM. It’s our final edition for 2019 – and we’ve got lots to talk about!
As the summer retail peak edges closer, retailers around the country are gearing up for big sales – and looking to prevent big losses. Many are looking at facial recognition-enabled video surveillance solutions to identify shoppers – from known offenders to VIP customers – but there’s a lot of uncertainty around the legal and reputational aspects of capturing and storing such sensitive personal data.
In this issue of NZSM we focus on the issues surrounding facial recognition and privacy. David Horsburgh CPP PSP PCI, Managing Director at Security Risk Management, who presented to a sold-out ASIS Auckland Breakfast Meeting in November, writes in an in-depth feature article that facial recognition use by private companies potentially breaches NZ privacy principles.
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While new camera biometric smarts present opportunities for New Zealand’s retailers, writes Joanna Mathers in a related piece, it pays to understand the implications. In another article that considers the US setting, Megan Gates writes that the fast and loose adoption of facial recognition technology has potentially negative impacts for marginalised people, such as minority groups, already at risk of discrimination.
Also in the US, we look at the results of a recent ASIS Foundation study, which cites the biggest barrier to the convergence of security functions in organisations as differences in culture and skillset between physical and cybersecurity. Conversely, the biggest driver for convergence is the alignment of security strategy with corporate goals.
On the topic of convergence, in an article originally published in Security Management Magazine, Claire Meyer notes that the 2019 Unisys Security Index identifies increasingly risk-averse consumer perspectives on physical and digital security at public events.
Among the big public events over the coming summer are international cricket fixtures. With the cricket season upon us, Chris Kumeroa, Managing Director of Global Risk Consulting, draws from years of security experience in Pakistan and the Middle East to risk assess the potential for a New Zealand Cricket return to tours of Pakistan.
Closer to home, NZSA CEO Gary Morrison writes about a recent Wellington event he attended along with a string of senior diplomats and government guests. For an invitee list heavy on top brass, the gathering was disconcertingly light on security.
With months of crippling public protests in Hong Kong and some recent smaller scale demonstrations in Wellington and Ihumatao, there’s plenty of protest action around, and private security guards are often on the front line. Joanna Mathers explores the unique challenges faced by security providers caught up in protest action.
In Part Two of my wrap up of August’s Safe and Secure Facilities and Public Spaces conference, I look at the various strategies presented by conference speakers aimed at protecting public places against ‘improbable’ security threats.
There’s all this and a whole lot more in this issue of NZSM, including more features and updates from the NZSA and our sponsors. Without our sponsors NZSM just wouldn’t happen, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and to recognise their valuable service in contributing to an informed New Zealand security industry.
Stay safe over the festive season, and all the best for a great start to 2020!
Nicholas Dynon, Auckland
