The Foundations of Security

The previous chapters have illustrated at a base nodal level some of the weaknesses that contribute to poor security. In this chapter we move to consider some of the more macro level weaknesses which ultimately provide the foundations upon which much of the failure and success of security are built. The first area this chapter will consider is the inadequate regulatory framework that exists in the UK and in many other countries. The nature of security requires effective statutory regulation and it will be argued that in the UK, and in many other countries, there is a lack of such regulation, which ultimately contributes towards poor security. The second area explored in this chapter is the lack of a professional infrastructure for security. For security to be more effective, the ‘traits’ of a profession are required and this chapter will argue that in the context of the UK — as in many other countries — this is lacking. Finally the chapter looks at the emerging security inequity in society and argues that this also needs to be tackled, not just for the benefit of the less protected nodes, but for the benefit of all.