Security Practice and Management

Course Coordinator: Hesta Ho, BScPsy (Birmingham); MSocSc (HKU)

Course Developers: Dr Raymond W K Lau, HKMU; Mark Craig, Queensland University of Technology; Dr Daniel Gilling, University of Plymouth; Derry H M Wong, Barrister at Law; Lo Pui Wah, CPP, MIISec; Simon Roberts, CPP; Dr Hilton Chan; and Dr Garland Liu, HKMU

Course Development Consultant: Dr Paul Yung

LESM A204 is a core course in the Law Enforcement and Security Management programmes at the Diploma level and above. It is a middle-level course providing generic security management skills that are portable across the private and public sectors. It covers areas of responsibility for a security manager in a large organization. While the course is designed to meet the needs of the professional security manager in Hong Kong, the practical methodologies and processes incorporated in the course are universally applicable.

Aims
This course aims to:

• Provide students with sound knowledge of the different roles and functions of a security manager;
• Develop and refine students' knowledge and understanding of the management skills required to assess security and associated risks, and to provide solutions for handling such risks;
• Equip students with the knowledge required for attaining higher levels of management responsibility within the security profession;
• Build students' understanding of the holistic nature of security in the commercial environment.

Contents
The course covers the following topics:

• The concept of security management, and contemporary security management issues in relation to societal and organizational needs
• An introduction to criminology and the nature of crime
• Legal issues in private security, e.g. issues affecting the private security industry such as litigation, tort, agency, laws of search and seizure, etc.
• The investigation of security breaches, from investigation management, detection methodologies for fraud and white collar crime, to preventive techniques and technologies
• The concepts of risk management methodologies and processes, including risk analysis, threat assessment and the security survey (emergency and disaster management and recovery are also examined)
• The core areas of physical/material security, including a discussion of issues such as preventive methods and emergency precautions
• The security manager's responsibilities for the protection of executives, the protection and classification of information, personnel security, and other issues in relation to corporate security
• Retail security fundamentals, including internal and external theft through shoplifting, employee theft, burglary, credit fraud, etc. (preventive strategies and security awareness programmes are also examined)
• The increasingly important issue of computer security in relation to threats such as hacking and e-commerce fraud
• Professionalism in security management. Aspects such as ethical standards, service-orientation and professional affiliations will be discussed.

Learning support
There will be around eleven two-hour tutorials at regular intervals and four three-hour day schools.

Assessment
There will be five assignments and a final examination. Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Set book(s)
There are no set books for this course.