Ask SRMC: Measuring the Success of a Security Program

We received a question from one of our readers relative to measuring the success of a security program.  Our reader is interested in what other security professionals are doing relative to staff performance, training, and system performance.

SRMC works in many different industries and as such which metrics are measured oftentimes depends on the industry served.  That said, this is what we generally see:

Activity/Quantity.  For example, measuring the # of assaults, # of disturbances, # of Dispatch calls, # of calls for service, number of visitors processed, # of alarm responses, # of door openings, # of interior patrols, # of exterior patrols, and crime trends (total property crimes and total personal crimes.)

Efficiency.  For example, measuring budget compliance and voluntary turnover.

Quality.  For example, measuring the # of security education classes held, # of employees scoring over 80% on security awareness module, # of employees scoring over 80% on the workplace violence prevention module, the # of shifts filled by flex officers, the # of shifts over 12 hours, and the amount of overtime.

Customer Satisfaction.  For example, measuring this through an annual survey with questions such as do you feel safe at work, what do you feel is the most important single consideration regarding personal safety at work (patrolling officers, staffed security positions, controlled access, outdoor lighting, etc.), have you been a victim of a crime on the campus in the last 2 years, if so, who did you report it to, what was the type of incident or crime, where did the crime occur, the # of escorts provided by security, and the response time to calls for service.