How can combining traditional perimeter solutions and new emerging technologies battle against challenging terrain and vast geographical expanse on borders?
Border threats are rich and varied and despite featuring heavily in the press over recent years, illegal immigration counts as a small percentage of the risks faced. It’s not a case of simply keeping people out; animals can carry diseases, organised criminals look for vulnerabilities, constant threats to national security take place many thousands of times each day.
Borders cover many tens of thousands of kilometres across the globe and that requires special, reliable measures to ensure a secure perimeter allowing everyday life to continue, without threats on both sides of the line.
Every nation puts a lot of time and capital into ensuring borders are kept secure and safe but the task of monitoring many thousands of kilometres is nearly impossible, regardless of how determined a nation is to keep border entry strict.
Security threats to borders include and are not limited to the below:
- Smuggling
- Unauthorised access
- Illegal contraband
- Criminal network access
- Potential terrorist threats
- National security threats
- Intent damage to property or infrastructure
- Illegal immigration
- Organised criminal activity
- Non-indigenous plants & animals
- Dangerous chemicals & drug importation
- Trespassing
Basic security for borders can include a multitude of layers and spans over a vast geographical terrain. Border control does not stop at checkpoints or fencing/perimeter, but spans across video surveillance, watch towers, access control, patrolling and much more. This article will only touch on a couple of the primary, new and most common uses of security solutions in border control across the globe.
- Perimeter fencing
- Barbed wire
- Long range CCTV
- Alarms & sirens
- Spotlights and floodlights
- Flashing beacons
- Guard towers
- Below ground intrusion detection
- Checkpoints
- Patrol guards and dogs
- Various vehicular deterrents
- Drones
- Satellite surveillance
Perimeter protection
Border security is only as effective as its active perimeter. Regardless of the systems in place, if a fence can be cut, a wall can be scaled or a tunnel can be dug undetected then the threat level to national security remains high.
Border control perimeter fencing technologies are typically developed for military applications which do not fail, cannot be powered down, worked around or avoided. These systems are completely waterproof, weatherproof and designed to work in some of the world’s harshest environments. They seamlessly integrate with your existing security measures and provide a humanitarian means to monitor borders, regardless of their length.
Typically, borders will be spanned by lengths of fencing, often palisade, wire or barbed wire. These can be retained and monitored using perimeter intrusion detection systems. With solutions for every fence type, it is easy to monitor many kilometres of border and pinpoint attempts made to damage the fence, scale it or break through. This can be connected to all existing security measures along the perimeter and enable a rapid response to any alert created.
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Media contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, Security Portfolio
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: [email protected]
