ABSTRACT
As a security manager contemplates reducing risks in a target environment, the first challenge is understanding the unique nature of that environment. Consider the daunting task facing a police officer, newly graduated from the police academy and assigned to patrol in an unknown sector of the city or county. How effective that officer will be in reducing the threat and fear of crime in the community will certainly depend on coming to know every facet of community life: the geography, the socioeconomic conditions, the demographics, the politics, the level of support to be expected from businesses and citizens, and the nature of the organizational culture within which the officer will need to interact. Much like that police officer, a manager tasked with effecting security plans within a port must become educated in the complexities of the maritime sector.
