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Issue 71: Security at facilities (Part 2) - By Andrew Whittaker, CEO Aquatics & Recreation Victoria

Like many public facilities with general community access, aquatic and recreation centres have to address the growing issue of security both from a staff safety as well as patron security point of view. The first part of this article covered some of the obvious key considerations such as security cameras.

However, there is a range of less obvious actions that can improve security and a comprehensive approach will help create a feeling of safety without being intrusive.

Signage is often seen as the first step with the requirement that the public be warned about all risks and potential dangers. However there is a danger that having many signs will satisfy the manager’s need to provide a warning but too many means that they become part of the background and colour scheme and are not noticed or read by patrons.

In terms of security it is important that wording relates to practical action and is relevant. There may be permanent signs that say ‘This area is under constant surveillance’ or ‘Site protected by Aquatics Security’ but signage relating to car or property theft needs to be eye catching and updated regularly to overcome complacency. Signs or a handout saying ‘Thieves have been operating in the car park. Make sure you know where your valuables are and keep them safe’ may be necessary to grab the customer’s attention.

Within the facility there is more need to monitor property theft and clear signage in changing rooms is essential. Not only should lockers be available to the public but there should be strong encouragement for them to be used.

Although staff have specific roles it is important that all staff maintain a watching brief across the total facility, including car parks and any separate access areas. Whilst not wanting to create a climate of fear and suspicion it is worthwhile keeping a log or diary of suspicious incidents for the information of all staff. Many centres have a large proportion of casual or part time staff and keeping them informed of incidents and making them part of the safety culture is important. Because of different shifts across the day not all staff are aware of incidents or developments at a facility.

From the point of view of staff security the provision of lockers for staff should be considered as many centres have limited areas for administration and storage or even a staffroom. It is also important to have clearly defined ‘staff only’ areas e.g. administration, plant rooms, storage areas, staff room so that any trespassers are immediately noticed and identified.

Facilities are in the people business and we want to attract as many people as possible as they are community assets with a range of services and programmes. We want them to be used. Because of the cross section of customers there will be occasions when some patrons will be aggressive, awkward, or display poor behaviour to either staff or other patrons. Being able to deal with this behaviour is an important part of staff training and needs special skills. Also you do not want to be in the situation where the ejection of customers leads to retaliatory action and vandalism at a later stage.

Staff are crucial in setting the tone of a facility in terms of being welcoming and customer friendly, yet they need to have the skills to cope with situations where patron behaviour becomes unacceptable. As a backup it is prudent to build a good relationship with local police, who can be very helpful in providing random patrols of the car park or showing a presence by walking through or visiting the centre.

Another area for consideration is the implementation of a very tight and clearly defined process for cash handling. Centres can often have quantities of cash onsite and the protection of that money needs to have well defined procedures so that there is no possibility of it being taken or lost. End of day or shift processes, reconciliation and delivery to the bank are all key times that need procedures to ensure security of funds and to protect staff.

Although security is increasingly important it should not dominate the atmosphere of a centre. Patrons should feel welcome and know that there is a safe environment with proper processes in place. It should be in the background having been based on a comprehensive review of the facility, staffing and customer profile. It is a necessary component of management that will pay dividends over time by increased patronage.