NCJ Number
93798
Journal
Security Management Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1984) Pages: 51-60
Date Published
1984
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article, the first of a two-part series, discusses perimeter protection, comparing the various means currently available.
Abstract
The primary objectives of any perimeter protection scheme are to delineate the boundary, to control entry and exit, to deter would-be intruders, to delay and detect the entry of intruders and alert security personnel to the situation, to prevent unauthorized removal of property, to prevent surprise attack, and to keep out innocent passersby for their own protection. Weighing against these objectives are the considerations of costs, operational and managerial requirements, and environmental factors. Physical barriers fall into two classes -- opaque and see-through. Opaque barriers include brick walls, concrete block walls, precast solid concrete fencing, and close-boarded fencing. See-through fencing, such as chain link or metal pallisading, gives guards and patrols the advantage of seeing out. The following categories of fencing differ by the function they perform: boundary, barrier, safety, security, regulatory, temporary, electrified, and rabbit-proof. There are only two methods of detecting an intrusion across the perimeter. The first is the use of static guards at lookout points or in security poses, the second is the use of electronic alarms. The principle types of electronic alarms include line of sight systems such as the microwave fence and infrared beams, vibration sensing systems, radiating cable systems, microwave sensor systems, buried line pressure sensors, and electrostatic field systems. Recent technological advances have greatly reduced problems with false alarms.