Personal Safety

3 Important Tips for Safe Holiday Shopping

27 September in Personal Safety, Travel Safety by admin

With the Holiday Season in full swing, spirits are high, mall parking lots are full, and the streets are congested with shoppers inching their way to retail stores to find that perfect gift. Even with the vast onset of online shoppers, there still exists those incredibly tenacious folks who love to brave the elements, the traffic, and the pushing and shoving that goes with the exhilaration of the holiday retail shopping experience. While shoppers focus on the season, big bargains and discounts - the criminal element...

Cyber Series: Social Networking – Friend or Foe?

27 September in Business Continuity Planning, Personal Safety by admin

In this blog post, Rampart Group will take a look at social networking and how our desire to be transparent and share information can be risky business. We will also look at some common threats and steps we can take to be a responsible social networker. Social networking serves multiple purposes Social networks such as chat rooms, forums, discussion groups, emails and instant messaging all serve as places where we “connect” with others online. Here are some of the benefits: *People “connect” and share information online with great...

Improving Workplace Investigations

27 September in Corporate Security, Crisis Response, Investigations, Personal Safety by admin

Workplace investigations become a necessity at some point in time in every company. Whether you identify them as investigations or simply call them “just finding out what happened”, trusted employees who are not trained investigators likely are assigned the task. The result is often an incomplete understanding of the facts due to poorly conducted interviews, weak documentation of interviews, partial collection or improper handling of evidence, and poorly written reports. Following a few simple guidelines will dramatically improve your workplace investigations and potentially eliminate risk...

Kidnap Avoidance – Move off the X

27 September in Personal Safety, Travel Safety by admin

Never underestimate the value of introducing an element of randomness to your behavior when traveling in high-risk environments. Examples of high-risk environments include countries at war or neighboring the war, politically charged foreign cities or countries, cities or countries nationally and internationally known for active drug cartels, drug trafficking, human trafficking etc. Kidnapping is a crime that requires forethought, planning, and surveillance. Kidnappers typically follow a set sequence, from considering the level of difficulty in identifying a potentially valuable target, to determining when that target is...

Helping Kids Deal with Bullies

27 September in Personal Safety, School Safety by admin

What is bullying? Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion and can include verbal harassment or threats; physical assault or abuse; and intimidation. Kids are often reluctant to tell adults or authorities about bullying because they are embarrassed and ashamed. Sometimes kids worry that their parents, teachers, coaches or guardians will be disappointed in them or think less of them. Forms of Bullying Bullying can be a real nightmare for kids and can reveal itself in many forms: Teasing...

Five Key Components of an Effective Corporate Travel Security Program

27 September in Business Continuity Planning, Corporate Security, Crisis Response, Personal Safety, Travel Safety by admin

Policy: Effective travel program development begins with a well-written policy that clearly establishes how your employees travel on business. It should include what class of fares can be purchased and whether direct routing can be booked—in lieu of cheaper fares available with connecting flights. Your policy should address the needs of international travelers allowing for improved class on long flights over a clearly defined length. The class of hotels must be included, describing the level of service permitted that is booked on business travel. The...