Harris Crime Prevention Services captures over 20 years' experience in security and crime prevention. Since our early days as Geoffrey Harris & Associates, which was established in 1983, we have been involved in providing security management and crime prevention advice to government, commercial and community sectors. In 1998 a separate business was formed, Harris Crime Prevention Services, to deliver a national service bringing together and aligning expertise specifically for the Health and Aged Care sectors. Our expertise subsequently expanded to include Schools.

We focus on security risk management which supports occupier's/employer's 'duty of care' compliance and government accreditation processes.

We are not affiliated with, nor receive benefits from, any organisation that supplies security hardware, installs security systems, monitors alarm systems or provides guarding services. This approach is the only way in which clients can ensure due diligence and receive innovative solutions.

The strategic objective of our relationship with clients is to minimise the potential for crimes against them and the consequent negative impact on stakeholders, in particular, patients/residents/students, visitors and employees. Some of the specific objectives will be to have a crime prevention program that will:

• Be aligned to the needs of management and operational requirements;
• Be cost effective, reliable and credible;
• Provide impediments to criminal and anti-social activity;
• Enhance the feeling of safety for all;
• Protect assets and personal belongings;
• Create the safest possible environment to meet occupational health and safety legislation and common law 'duty of care';
• Satisfy directors' due diligence requirements;
• Meet the expectations of external stakeholders, e.g. insurers, auditors, government;
• Reduce legal liability through the application of international best practice in crime prevention auditing and planning;
• Encourage employees to be active participants in workplace crime prevention;
• Reinforce marketability of the facility by projecting the image of being a safe environment.

Our strategies to improve site security bring together various perspectives on security. These include techno-centred security (e.g. alarms and CCTV), socio-centred security (e.g. staff commitment to security objectives, staff awareness programs), Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design - CPTED (pronounced 'sep-ted' - e.g. natural access control, territorial reinforcement, natural surveillance, property image) and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Management (CPTEM) which involves managing the current environment, e.g. landscaping, lighting, signage and the removal of visible signs that an area has been targeted by criminal activity including vandalism or graffiti. The aim of applying CPTED and CPTEM strategies is to promote the image that the site is not only well cared for, but is safe and secure.

As qualified trainers, we provide security and safety awareness programs specifically developed for Health, Aged Care and School staff.

We are an accredited Security Consultancy Provider to the NSW Government through the Department of Commerce.

HCPS is a member of the Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA); a Commonwealth Government initiative in sharing research information for the protection of critical infrastructure against terrorism.