Establishing Risk Overseas

Our Approach

A reasonable approach, and one we adopt at Sceptre, is to analyse the threat, assess the risk, put in place proportionate mitigation measures for staff and other valuable assets, and then document the entire process. Documentation is an essential element of the procedure, ensuring transparency, allowing for scrutiny, and providing evidence that the client’s legal and ethical responsibilities to their employees have been met. This approach should reduce risk to the lowest level reasonably possible, allowing the overseas travel event to proceed safely and provide a detailed audit trail.

When writing risk assessments, it is easy to sensationalise statistics. For example, Mexico is listed as a Higher risk of kidnapping country by numerous sources (Strategic Risk Global), and yet millions of us travel there each year on vacation. Good data is an essential tool for making reasonable and proportionate risk assessments of the risks associated with operating in other countries and regions. Accurate and detailed risk assessments lead to sensible and proportionate mitigation methods that are both valuable and cost-effective.