In the context of hostile reconnaissance, NPSA defines deterrence as: The intelligent, co-ordinated promotion of protective security provision to the hostile that results in the perception and/or assessment that the reconnaissance or the attack itself will fail.
Hostiles will not necessarily be automatically deterred from a target simply because it has CCTV or guards or a particular fence or lock. Instead, an organisation needs to use these security measures in an effective manner and to then communicate them to the hostile. If a hostile believes a site has excellent security measures due to what they've read online or seen on a poster or witnessed in operation, it may be enough to deter them from their target altogether.
Deterrent measures can be cheap, relatively easy to deploy or may just involve the more targeted deployment of existing assets. They will involve the security practitioner working with colleagues from across their organisation, most notably in communications and their ultimate effect should be one that will deter the hostile yet have a neutral or even positive effect on your employees and visitors.
Guidance for Religious Establishments
Religious establishments across the UK are crucial components of society; they offer spiritual guidance, support to the vulnerable and a place for the community to come together. The very spirit of religious venues and events make them open and welcoming. However, this spirit and the beliefs that these venues and events represent make them attractive targets for people seeking to undertake criminal acts.
Religious groups regularly publish detailed information about their venues and events which, whilst useful for their congregation and community, can also be useful for another audience - those wishing to undertake a hostile act against their venue, event or people. These acts could range from petty criminality, such as theft, to ideologically, religiously, or politically motivated acts, like terrorism.
This new guidance is important for all those who have contact with the public; the more interaction a member of clergy, staff or volunteer has with the public, the more opportunity they have to inadvertently provide information that would be useful to a hostile.