INCIDENT REPORTING
Even minor incidents and near-misses can serve as early warning signs of potential threats. Reporting security incidents helps accurately understand and map the security situation.
If in doubt, report it!
Security incidents include, but are not limited to:
Crimes involving Federation personnel and property (theft, burglary, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, etc.)
Threats to Federation personnel with weapons or acts of violence
Harassment or any form of threatening behavior
Acts of war such as shelling, mines, gunfire, or military aggression
Looting, attacks on property, and vandalism
Any vehicle accidents, regardless of seriousness or responsibility
Relocation of delegates
Federation personnel involved in unlawful activities
Breaches of delegation's security regulations.
How and When to Report:
(IFRC reporting requirements)
Serious/Critical Incidents: All incidents involving death, serious injury, kidnapping or which are particularly sensitive, must be reported to your designated security focal point or manager by telephone immediately. A written incident report must follow within 24 hours. The Global Security Unit in Geneva must also be immediately informed by telephone.
Other security incidents must be formally reported, using the security incident report form, to your security focal point or manager within 48 hours. The security incident report must also be forwarded to the Global Security Unit in Geneva.
Incident analysis
After a security incident occurs, it is important that an analysis of the actual event as well as the events leading up to it takes place. It is important to determine why an incident occurred and how it can be prevented in the future (e.g., through adjustments to security regulations or procedures).
An analysis of incidents should focus on the following areas.
Leading up to the incident, were procedures followed and, if so, is there something that needs to be changed?
Were you targeted? Is this because you did something to provoke an attack? Were you perceived as being wealthy or a soft target? Is the Red Cross or Red Crescent no longer accepted in the area?
Were the procedures in dealing with the incident appropriate?
Identifying trends
This essentially involves looking at whether there are common elements between the incidents.
Are these incidents occurring in certain areas more often? Recording the incident(s) on a map may identify specific areas where certain incidents – higher level of traffic accidents, higher level of residential burglaries, carjackings, etc. – are occurring. This will enable action to be taken to reduce the risk by avoiding certain areas.
Are incidents occurring at certain times? For example, if more car accidents occur at night or during certain hours, then we can avoid travelling at that time.
Are the circumstances of the incident or the outline of events similar? For example, if carjacking of four-wheel drive vehicles travelling alone occurs, we can perhaps reduce the risk by implementing a two-vehicle policy for any vehicle movements.
Some common reasons for security incidents include:
Ineffective security management and ignorance of procedures
Lack of basic security awareness
Profile of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in the country and how it is viewed by the local population (e.g., provocative behaviour, cultural insensitivity, etc.)
Interpersonal relations and personal problems
Lack of information
Taking unnecessary risks
Stress-related security incidents