Employment of in-house armed security guards in the protection of critical water utility infrastructure and in the management of extraordinary events

Abstract

The employment of armed security guards - formerly known as civil armed guards and industrial guards – in the water utility sector has a long-standing tradition spanning more than seventy years; one of Hungary’s earliest established organizations of this type operates in this sector. Following an overview of the key physical protection characteristics of critical infrastructures required for water supply, the author presents the principal organizational aspects of employing armed security guards within a critical infrastructure operator. Particular emphasis is placed on the close, operational cooperation between operational control units and those responsible for supervising security systems, as well as on the potential role of armed security personnel in managing extraordinary events. The findings may also be utilized by water utility service providers for whom maintaining an armed security guard unit is not warranted, supporting the development or enhancement of effective, risk-proportionate, all-hazards-based protection measures that strengthen organizational resilience.