Latin America is an excellent case in point, in fact – it being the world's most criminally violent continent. The murder rates in some of these countries are fourteen times higher than in the UK.
Remember that you'd also be visiting the very places that criminals frequent to find a target (ie airports and hotels), and they'll be quick to assume that you're carrying cash, credit cards and (possibly) a laptop computer.
Your naïveté will also be assumed. Do you know how to shout out: "Help, I'm being robbed!" in Mexican? And would you know what to say if you did manage to get in touch with the local police? Think about it.
As a target for terrorist activity, matters are even more clear cut. You or your member(s) of staff will represent a means of revenue or impact from two potential sources.
First, from the position of being a member of the Western World's community. Second, due to your company identity – your firm may have had dealings with the 'other side', or be seen to be hostile for whatever reason. It would also be assumed that you'd be covered by kidnapping insurance that should entail a prompt cash payment for your assailants.
Understood or not, these factors affecting business travel are not new. The prudent application of risk management has always dictated that a risk assessment should occur prior to overseas travel. Similarly, every company should have an overseas travel policy in place, running concurrently with a crisis management plan.
Furthermore, the publication of the Turnbull Report in 1999 (a report containing risk management recommendations for listed companies) should have prompted larger blue chip organisations to address their business travel risks. Has that been the case in your company? Don't be surprised if enquiries at Board level meet with a negative response.
In this light, the scope for improvement applies not only to the business fraternity but the Government as well. It could be argued that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) fails to provide the right degree of assistance and leadership to business. One instance of its deficiency is that the travel advice it provides makes no distinction between the very different factors affecting the business traveller in comparison with the holdaymaker.
The changing nature of business
Three particular factors affecting business travel merit further discussion. The first of these relates to the changing ways in which we do business. Although there have been significant advances in communications technology – with the advent of e-mail, the Internet and videoconferencing – there remains a need for face-to-face contact. Not at all surprising, then, to discover that since the early 1990s, the numbers of people departing UK shores on overseas business travel have risen dramatically (growing by 2.5 million trips per annum). Indeed, there were over eight million journeys made in 1999 alone.
The greater proportion of those travelling head for EU destinations. Over the last decade, though, business travel from the UK to other parts of the world has increased. Alterations to the economies of trade, the advent of the global marketplace and the breakdown of previous barriers to commerce (eg the ending of the Cold War) most likely account for this.
A great many of the trips to non-EU European destinations are to the emerging market areas of the Near and Far East, for instance the ex-Soviet states and China. Such visits are often devoid of any existing company infrastructure or support network. Moreover, the lines of communication are frequently extended (ie help is not readily at hand, and the facilities encountered may not match up to those back home). Pre-trip planning is essential for minimising potential risks.
Surprisingly, neither the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) nor the FCO keep a record as to how many of these UK-based employees face security problems while abroad. An excellent example of Government intransigence. When you consider that we're the fifth largest exporting nation in the world, and the second highest exporter of commercial services, shouldn't we reasonably expect the highest levels of support and interest from our own Government?
The second factor centres on a change in world stability. The potential for conflict has moved from what was previously a superpower stand-off – which tended to polarise allegiance and ideology – to one in which there exists a diversity of discord (mainly along ethnic and religious lines). Examples include the ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, terrorist attacks on US Embassies in Africa and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.
Despite warnings of pending terrorist activity against US and possibly British citizens (a worldwide caution alert was issued in late June), it's the presence of high crime rate problems that present the greatest threat to the business traveller. In a recent survey, seven out of every ten respondents said that they'd been a victim of crime (most notably mugging) when on overseas business travel.
Kidnapping and abduction for financial gain is a growing concern. According to 'The Kidnapping Business' (see panel 'Overseas business travel: notable points of reference'), kidnappers are gleaning well over $500 million each year. The scale of the problem can be seen in FCO figures indicating that over 100 British nationals have been involved in kidnapping incidents since 1997 alone.
These figures include, of course, the tragic events in Chechenia in 1999 – resulting in the deaths of three British communications engineers – and the capture two years ago of oil worker Alistair Taylor, who was released in July.
One must ask why it is that employees are sent to such high risk areas? Tolerance is often low in an age where social and ethical issues are of great importance. There have also been changes in the workplace in terms of how employers are expected to regard their employees' safety. The time is nigh for this principle to be applied to business travel.
Adopting an holistic approach
In any forward-thinking organisation it's the risk management/security department that should provide travel security advice to employees. Alternatively, those self-same departments could arrange for a competent third party to do the job.
The benefit of an holistic approach is that a wider field of threat will be included in the risk assessment (eg damage to an organisation's corporate identity following a kidnapping incident). Consider that UK companies are often reported as having been sued by the spouse of an ex-employee. The employee involved was the survivor in a kidnapping, but the spouse will seek compensation. Cases are often brought under the pretext that, according to the spouse, the company failed to prepare the employee for the trip, failed to support them during the trip and hadn't done enough to help upon their eventual return.
Information is the first requirement for completing a risk assessment. All relevant factors must be considered (ie political, economic, medical, geographic and crime-related details). The objective is to quantify the present risks, reduce those risks as far as possible and judge the acceptability of sending a member of staff to a given country.
If your organisation has local operatives already 'on the ground' at the destination they can give useful advice, but proceed with caution... while such an approach offers a 'quick and dirty' assessment, the guidance offered may be affected by specific experiences and long-held prejudices.
Alternatively, the security manager could deploy his or her team to complete the assessment, or use a professional outfit that's a specialist in this area. For the in-house team there are a number of free Government sources of information upon which you can draw. These include the services of the FCO's Travel Advice Unit and the US State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs.
The FCO's material is available via the Internet and e-mail. Direct contact by telephone should elicit local and accurate information at little cost. Ultimately, you will ignore Government information at your peril.
That said, there are disadvantages in using Government information in comparison to sources in the private sector. Private sector companies can usually provide individual and more detailed assessments on the destination in question. That information is likely to be more up-to-date and – importantly – there are no political constraints placed upon it.
Major service providers in this area include Kroll Associates, the Control Risks Group and Pinkerton's, all of whom offer a range of services. Other organisations are specialists in one or two areas (eg evacuation, kidnap insurance and crisis management). International SOS Assistance, Jane's Information Group and Political Risk Services are three such providers.
Preparing for overseas security
In an ideal world, preparation should start with your Crisis Management Committee. Its job is to agree a business travel policy, formulate a strategy for problematic issues and co-ordinate any contingency planning. That Committee should appoint an individual or team to set in motion the risk assessment for the proposed travel. Remember that the intended traveller should be involved at all times.
The individual or team can then start to research the travel/destination under the following general headings: history (including the current political environment), social and cultural factors, crime problems, the local infrastructure and climate, potential hazards and medical matters and projections (of any possible changes to the current situation). Note that the actual itinerary of the trip should remain confidential.
An examination of each topic will in turn highlight particular items of note. These might include: vaccination requirements, transport issues, significant events occurring during travel (eg political elections) or areas boasting high crime rates. Such variables would require a more in-depth analysis.
Having completed the risk assessment, the means of lessening risks to an acceptable level may be planned. These means may include basic advice and precautions for some areas, but in others they could well entail the consideration of sending security personnel along to both accompany and protect the traveller. In an extreme case, armoured transport might be in the 'security mix'.
Handling pure security risks
Whatever the scenario, the classic methods of handling 'pure' risks – risk transference, avoidance, reduction and retention – should be employed with the aim of attaining an acceptable level. The question you must now ask yourself is: have the risks been reduced to an acceptable enough level, and is it still advisable to make the trip? If a significant risk remains, consider cancelling the journey. Plan further if you feel that risks can indeed be reduced to an acceptable level.
At this stage, consideration should be given to a thorough health check of the employee, arranging adequate medical insurance and setting contingency plans in case a hasty evacuation is necessary. Such plans need to include round-the-clock availability of so-called 'liquid funds'.
Other insurance considerations may include the retention of specialist companies like International SOS Assistance. Depending on the destination it's also wise to look at kidnap and ransom insurance. Some policies will not be cheap, but you can't put a price on someone's life.
You then need to form a Crisis Management Team. Essentially similar in make-up to the aforementioned Crisis Management Committee, the major difference is that the Team actions the Committee's plans should the operational need arise.
Administering a little education
As stated, business travellers expect their employees to provide security education in relation to their overseas movements. However, this education is all-too-often absent or delegated to a third party – usually a travel agent! By definition, travel agents are very definitely NOT security experts. At least one core textbook used to train travel agents (and relating to the BTEC/NVQ in 'Business Travel') fails to mention security even in passing.
To be comprehensive, the education should include advice on personal security and issues of a general nature. Tell the employee in question to use hard, lockable luggage. They should avoid telling their fellow passengers their life story, and should possess a small amount of local currency upon arrival. Instruct them to wait at the airport until met by a pre-arranged contact, and suggest that they learn a little of the local dialect (thus helping them to blend in with their new environment).
Business travellers should be vigilant with their belongings at all times, and keep copies of their passport and travellers' cheque details. At the hotel, they should remember to find out where the emergency exits are located. In addition, it's always a good idea they they dress conservatively, and avail themselves of details concerning local news and events.
It's also a wise move for the security manager to administer specific security advice and information relative to the destination (ie the results and recommendations of the initial risk assessment, details of 'no-go' areas, how to recognise danger signs, the medical risks and places of assistance – eg Embassies).
Briefings are advisable concerning the plans and procedures to be used in managing a crisis that might arise (for example, in the event of illness, kidnap or emergency evacuation).
Don't forget to conduct a debriefing with the employee upon his or her return. Lessons learned can then be included in future plans.
Overseas business travel: notable points of reference
Your first port of call should be the Foreign and Commonwealth Office web site (www.fco.gov.uk), closely followed by that belonging to the US Department of State (www.state.gov). Another web site worth visiting is that of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (US) (to be found at: www.ds-osac.org). Other sites of interest include www.airsecurity.com, www.mahk.com (containing details of terrorist activity around the world) and www.janes.com (home of the Jane’s Information Group). There’s plenty of reading material out there, too. The most useful books are: ‘The Kidnapping Business’ by Rachel Briggs, ‘Travel Safe’ (written by Peter Consterdine), ‘Operational Security Management in Violent Environments’ (penned by Koenraad Van Brabant), David Lloyd Roberts’ ‘Staying Alive’ and – last, but not least – ‘Fielding’s The World’s Most Dangerous Places’ by R Pelton. Should any security managers be interested in purchasing copies of these titles, their ISBN numbers are as follows: (1) ‘The Kidnapping Business’: 1-903558-03-4(2) ‘Travel Safe’: 0-9537638-2-X
(3) ‘Operational Security Management in Violent Environments’: 0-85003-457-4 (see page 38, SMT, July 2001 for a comprehensive review of this title)
(4) ‘Staying Alive’: 2-88145-099-7
(5) ‘Fielding’s The World’s Most Dangerous Places’: 1-56952-140-9
Source
SMT
Postscript
Richard Aixill has an 18-year background in the security industry. He holds a post-graduate certificate in security management, and is an executive committee member of the Loughborough University Security Forum. Richard is a partner of Security i, an information library and study centre concentrating on the core subject of security, crime and risk management.