On the occurrence, or anticipation, of an incident requiring an immediate operational response, INSO issues an immediate FLASH ALERT via the quickest technical medium available (e-mail, SMS, VHF). The Alert will include the time, place and anticipated nature of the incident and a recommended response plan. 'ALL CLEAR' notices are provided when the threat expires.
INSO Services
INSO services are designed to support our NGO partners needs at every stage of their activity from immediate situational awareness through to long-term strategic analysis, preparedness, crisis support and access strengthening.
The menu of services on offer has been developed over many years in close consultation with literally hundreds of NGOs and can be adapted to local context as needed. INSO Services are recognised as meeting the most fundamental requirements in almost any context.
Nevertheless, INSO is constantly working with its partners to create innovative new services that can add even more value in today’s fast moving and complex environments.
If you have a great service idea that you would like to see delivered, let us know at: innovate[at]ngosafety.org
All INSO services are 100% free of charge and are only available to registered humanitarian organisations (NGOs).
24/7 Flash Alert
Incident Tracking
INSO provides a listing of all reported and verified security incidents received during the time period, presented in an accessible database format to allow user searches by geographic area, date & time, incident and tactic type (small arms fire, IED, kidnap, robbery etc) and victim type (NGO, civilian, UN, Police etc).
Analysis Reports
Periodic analytical reports focusing on the strategic, operational and tactical trends present in the context. Analytical reports commonly cover conflict as well as political, social, economic, demographic and environmental issues and integrate comprehensive data and statistical analysis for inter-annual trend identification.
Briefings / Meetings
Periodic (normally weekly) safety coordination meetings to facilitate inter-agency information sharing and cooperation. The meeting is led by INSO staff who conduct a comprehensive briefing of recent events before opening the floor to a roundtable discussion.
Orientation
Aimed at newly arrived international staff, INSO orientation covers general history and background to the context and conflict, historical and contemporary security dynamics, current security risk assessment (key threats and trends) along with actor mapping and introduction to local assistance resources.
Crisis Assistance
For security matters of extreme urgency or sensitivity - such as life threatening injury, armed attack, fatality or kidnapping – INSO staff will be available to provide expert assistance to senior NGO crisis responders with urgent advisory, information or referral services such as liaison with quick reaction forces, reference to medical services or advice on incident management.
Policy Reviews
Intended for smaller or local NGOs, INSO can conduct a desktop review of your agency's local security management policies – such as for travel, kidnap protocols, evacuation etc - and provide written feedback and recommendations including, where appropriate, best practice guidelines and examples.
Site Reviews
INSO can conduct a comprehensive Site Security Review (SSR) of any NGO facility, residence, office, sub-office, warehouse, programme office etc which evaluates it against a context specific checklist of criteria - such as access control, stand-off distance, natural hazards, local population etc - and provides recommendations.
Training
Where requested, INSO is able to utilise its extensive field presence and access to offer unique, high quality and site specific training curriculums that are contextualised to the local environment through the integration of actual incident types and trends prevalent in the area. The focus is on sustainability and organisational level impact.
