Protective security is the discipline of identifying and managing the physical threats to an organisation’s people, assets, and operations — and putting in place the controls, procedures, and governance arrangements that reduce those threats to an acceptable level.
In Australia, the term has specific meaning in government and regulatory contexts. The Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) is the Commonwealth Government’s policy for protective security — covering personnel, physical, and information security for government entities and their contracted service providers. Many WA government agencies and critical infrastructure operators align their security programs to PSPF principles even where they are not formally required to do so.
But protective security consulting is relevant well beyond the government sector. Any organisation that needs to demonstrate that it has systematically identified and managed physical security risk — to a board, an auditor, an insurer, a regulator, or a planning authority — is engaged in protective security, whether they use that terminology or not.
Smartsec Security Solutions delivers independent protective security consulting in Perth and across WA. This page explains what that involves, who it serves, and how it works in practice.
What Protective Security Consulting Involves
Protective security consulting is the structured, independent process of assessing physical security risk and providing advice that helps organisations manage it effectively. It covers the full range of physical security disciplines — not just technology, and not just procedures, but the intersection of environment, controls, people, and governance that together determine whether an organisation is genuinely managing its security obligations.
At Smartsec, protective security consulting typically encompasses the following.
Security risk assessment. The foundation of any protective security program. A structured, ISO 31000:2018-aligned process that identifies threats, evaluates existing controls, rates residual risk, and produces a prioritised written report. For organisations operating under the PSPF, SOCI Act, or sector-specific standards, the assessment provides the evidentiary foundation for compliance and governance.
Protective security strategy. Translating the risk assessment findings into a structured plan — what needs to be done, in what priority order, at what cost, and against what timeline. Connecting individual security measures to a coherent, documented approach that decision-makers can present to boards, elected members, and regulators with confidence.
CPTED and physical environment assessment. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design assessments aligned with ISO 22341:2021 and the WA Government’s Safer Places by Design framework. How the design and management of the built environment is influencing security outcomes — for councils managing public spaces, developers working on development applications, and architects integrating safety at design stage.
SOCI and CIRMP physical security consulting. For critical infrastructure operators subject to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018, the enhanced CIRMP Rules require a dedicated physical security plan by 30 June 2028. Smartsec delivers independent physical security assessments and CIRMP physical security plan development for energy, water, transport, health, and communications assets across WA — focusing exclusively on the physical security hazard category.
Aviation security assessments. For WA airports, aerodromes, and aviation industry participants under the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004. The recent ATSA amendments require mandatory risk-based physical security assessments for all Transport Security Programs — an active compliance obligation that requires specialist knowledge of both the aviation regulatory framework and physical security methodology.
Hostile vehicle mitigation. Independent HVM advice for crowded places, public precincts, events, and civic spaces — aligned with the Australian National Crowded Places Strategy. Evaluating vehicle attack risk and barrier arrangements without specifying particular products or suppliers.
Security procedures and management plans. Documented security management plans, SOPs, and incident response protocols. The procedural layer that connects physical controls to operational practice — what staff do when something goes wrong, how incidents are reported, how the escalation pathway works after hours, and how security governance is maintained over time.
Security technology design guidance. Vendor-neutral advice on CCTV, access control, duress, and alarm systems — specifying performance outcomes rather than brands, so findings support a proper procurement process without locking the organisation into a particular supplier’s solution.
Who Needs Protective Security Consulting in Perth
Government agencies and entities. WA government agencies, statutory bodies, and their contracted service providers aligning to PSPF principles — or subject to sector-specific frameworks including the SOCI Act. Protective security consulting provides the documented, evidence-based risk position required for governance, attestation, and audit.
Local government and councils. Managing diverse portfolios of publicly accessible assets across metropolitan and regional WA. Smartsec is a WALGA Preferred Supplier (PSP001-002 and PSP001-026) and an LGCA approved supplier — councils can engage us directly under the panel arrangement without a separate procurement process.
Critical infrastructure operators. Energy, water, transport, health, and communications assets with CIRMP physical security plan obligations under the enhanced CIRMP Rules. The compliance deadline is 30 June 2028, but the requirement to document a compliance pathway in intervening reporting periods means the work needs to start now.
Healthcare facilities. Hospitals, aged care providers, and community health centres with obligations under AS 4485:2021 and the WA Health Risk Management Policy. Independent physical security assessment provides the documented risk position required for governance and regulatory compliance.
Developers and architects. When a development application carries a CPTED or security condition, independent protective security advice provides the evidentiary basis required for planning approval — and early engagement at design stage is significantly more cost-effective than retrofitting after construction.
Commercial and industrial operators. Mining companies, retail operators, property managers, and commercial facilities where incidents, insurance requirements, or governance obligations trigger the need for independent assessment.
The Case for Independent Protective Security Consulting
Protective security consulting in Perth is provided by a range of organisations — including guarding companies, alarm installers, CCTV suppliers, and integrated security providers who bundle consulting into their service offering. The advice these organisations provide can be technically sound, but it comes with a structural incentive: the assessment tends to identify problems that the assessor’s products or services can solve.
Independent protective security consulting removes that incentive entirely. Smartsec has no products to sell, no systems to install, and no commercial relationships with any security supplier or installer. The fee covers the assessment and the advice — nothing else. Every finding and recommendation reflects the actual risk and what the site genuinely needs.
For organisations that need to present protective security decisions to a board, demonstrate PSPF or CIRMP alignment to a regulator, justify expenditure to elected members, or satisfy an insurer that security has been independently assessed — independence is not just preferable, it is often a prerequisite.
Credentials and Standards
Smartsec Security Solutions is led by Khabeer Rockley SRMCP — a licensed WA Security Risk Consultant and Security Agent with technical security licensing and nearly two decades of experience in physical security across the public and private sectors in WA.
Our protective security consulting is aligned with:
- ISO 31000:2018 — Risk Management: Guidelines
- ISO 22341:2021 — Security and Resilience: CPTED
- PSPF Facility Security Plan principles
- AS 4485:2021 — Security for Healthcare Facilities
- AS/NZS 1158 — Lighting for Roads and Public Spaces
- AS/NZS 62676 — Video Surveillance Systems
- WA Government Safer Places by Design framework
We are a WALGA Preferred Supplier and an LGCA approved supplier. Our reports are structured to meet the governance and documentation requirements of the organisations we work with — suitable for board presentation, council committee approval, audit evidence, CIRMP attestation, and planning submissions.
How Engagement Works
Every Smartsec engagement begins with a brief scoping conversation — typically 10 to 15 minutes — to understand the site, the organisation, the known concerns, and what the assessment needs to achieve. This is at no cost and no obligation.
From that conversation we confirm the right type of engagement, the scope, the deliverables, the timeframe, and the fee — before any work begins. For most protective security engagements this means a site inspection, structured analysis aligned with ISO 31000:2018, and a written report suitable for the governance, compliance, or planning purpose it’s intended to serve.
For organisations that aren’t sure what they need — whether a full security risk assessment, a CIRMP physical security plan, a CPTED assessment, or something else — the scoping conversation is often the most useful starting point. Most protective security problems have a right approach, and knowing what it is before commissioning work saves time, budget, and frustration.
Contact Smartsec Security Solutions to arrange a confidential scoping conversation.
