Understand the risks on the ground.

Physical security for energy and industrial companies means protecting sites, people and operations against intrusion, theft, sabotage and disruption. Technology helps, but most weaknesses appear in daily practice: a gate left open for a contractor, a badge that is never checked, a procedure that nobody follows at night.

Praetorian works with energy and industrial companies on two main needs: understanding the real security of a site, and supporting the people responsible for it, including security managers posted abroad.

The approach is the same as for any assignment. We start with the situation, not with a predetermined number of guards. The recommendation may be to change a procedure rather than to add resources.

Energy and industrial sites also host visitors: executives from head office, partners, auditors and contractors. Their visits create movements, and sometimes attention, that the site's usual arrangements were not designed for.

The scope of a site audit

• Perimeter: fences, gates, lighting and the areas where the perimeter is weakest.
• Access control: badges, visitor and contractor management, vehicle access and deliveries.
• Surveillance: camera coverage, blind spots, recording and who actually watches the images.
• Guarding: posts, rounds, instructions and how guards react to an unusual event.
• Procedures: what happens at night, at weekends, during shutdowns and during an incident.
• Sensitive areas: control rooms, offices and meeting rooms where information is exchanged.

Why test as well as audit

A penetration test shows what an inspection cannot: how people react. A procedure may be correct on paper and ignored in practice. Testing it, with the company's written agreement and within an agreed scope, gives management evidence rather than opinion.

What the company receives

Findings are presented with their level of priority and practical recommendations. Some can be applied immediately at little cost. Others need investment or a change of organisation. We can follow through on implementation if the company wishes.

Praetorian supports security managers rather than replacing them. They know their site, their teams and their local partners. We bring an outside view, extra hands for a defined period and experience of similar situations.

Typical requests

• An independent audit before a change of contractor or an investment decision.
• A penetration test to check a new access control system.
• Protection and transport for senior management visiting the site.
• Discreet support during a strike, a restructuring or a period of social tension.
• A sweep of offices and meeting rooms before sensitive discussions.

Periods of social tension

In a tense social climate, the most visible response is rarely the best. Tactical equipment and large teams can harden positions. A discreet presence, ordinary vehicles rather than luxury saloons, and a plan that can be scaled up if events change usually protect people better.

How an assignment starts

The security manager or head office describes the site, the context and the concern. We assess it, propose a proportionate arrangement in writing and agree the scope before anything is confirmed. See our method.