Operational requirements for security measures

Many physical and procedural security measures have not met users' needs because the implications of what is required have not been fully thought through. An operational requirement is a statement of needs based upon a thorough and systematic assessment of the problems to be solved and the hoped for outcomes. It should provide the link between a high level need and the system procurement process. It is easy to consider in principle but hard to develop in practice. The paper explains the development of an operational requirement and gives examples of where it has and has not been used. Examples include the procurement of equipment and the procedures and numbers needed for a guarding regime.