Physical security problems in local governments: a survey

Abstract

Physical security refers to the control of access into organizations, buildings, rooms, and information technology (IT) peripherals. However, physical security may be overlooked by organizations because they are more concerned about information security; this is because the organization assumes that those granted access can be trusted. The physical security is not a new issue in a local government environment; however, in most cases, hackers are to blame, while the actual culprits may be the employee(s) of the local government itself. This paper is a survey done to investigate the problems faced by a local government and the measures needed to be taken to keep their physical access secure. The subject of the research is chosen from among municipal councils in Malaysia since they hold various private information about the residents of the area, where physical security awareness is still low among the members of the organization. As a case study, the Kota Bharu Municipal Council (KBMC) was selected and its security problems were identified through a research comprising a mixed method of quantitative (questionnaire and observation) and qualitative (interview) techniques. The respondents of the research were eight employees of the IT Department, while the solution to their security problems was derived through interviewing its IT Officer. The researchers also discuss if KBMC is able to apply other local government’s solutions to their own security problems. The discussion reveals that the security awareness program is the most suitable solution to the KBMC’s security problems since it enhances security awareness of top management officers and enables the employees to be aware of their responsibilities in their daily work routine.