Secure the Soft Targets

Comedic pic of the escalation in PPE at supposedly soft targets

In every attack, whether it’s a stabbing, a smash-and-grab, or a coordinated act of terror, there’s one constant, the target was soft. Not because the threat wasn’t known, but because someone assumed it wouldn’t happen there. That assumption, complacency, is the real vulnerability. Not a lack of laws. Not a shortage of resources. But the comfortable lie that danger respects feelings, signage, or good intentions.

Soft targets aren’t just undefended, they’re predictable. Schools, shopping centres, hospitals, houses of worship, and public transport hubs all advertise vulnerability through their absence of visible deterrence. Cameras without responders. Policies without enforcement. Guards without authority. When security becomes symbolic, criminals and extremists take it literally. (Take note Coles, Woolworths, Kmart and Target)

The pattern is familiar to security professionals, the threat is always “unexpected” until it isn’t. Post-incident, bureaucrats hold press conferences, academic consultants are flown in, and the media recycles clichés about “senseless violence.” But behind every so-called senseless act is a very sensible calculation by the perpetrator. They chose the softest target. And the system made it easy. Its utterly sickening observing so many profiting from the pain of others.

Complacency is often disguised as compassion. Refusing to harden a site is portrayed as maintaining a “welcoming environment.” In reality, its institutional negligence dressed in moral language. There is no virtue in leaving children unguarded, crowds unsecured, or entrances wide open. The goal of public safety is not to feel nice, it’s to stay alive.

Profilers and behavioural experts have shown time and again that attackers don’t pick targets based on grievance alone. They pick based on accessibility. Opportunity trumps ideology. That’s why a criminal will bypass a police station and head to a church. It’s not complicated, it’s rational.

From a psychological standpoint, predators will test boundaries. If they find none, they escalate. That’s not pathology, it’s human behaviour. Threat actors are opportunists. They thrive in environments where the assumption is “It won’t happen here.” History shows, it always does, eventually.

The solution isn’t panic. It’s posture. Visibility, presence, access control, staff training, and rapid response capability, all of these form the foundation of deterrence. Hardened targets don’t need to resemble fortresses. They need to signal one thing!  “You’ll be stopped.” When that message is loud and clear, threats often dissolve before they begin.

Statistical data supports this. Incidents of mass casualty events in hardened environments are dramatically lower. Not because danger vanished, but because danger was displaced, toward locations that still live in denial.

Security is not about paranoia, it’s about preparation. Every vulnerable site that refuses to prepare becomes a future crime scene waiting for a date. The reality is stark, it’s not a matter of if, but when. And when that moment comes, the cost of complacency will be measured in blood, lawsuits, and hindsight.

Soft targets are not natural. They are engineered through bureaucratic indecision and cultural delusion. Reverse that, and you reverse the trend.

Because in the end, the hardened target isn't heartless. It's responsible. And in this world, responsibility is the only real defence.

And as we have all learnt the hard way, those elected and appointed seldom accept responsibility for anything. From the author.

The opinions and statements are those of Sam Wilks and do not necessarily represent whom Sam Consults or contracts to. Sam Wilks is a skilled and experienced Security and Risk Consultant with 3 decades of expertise in the fields of Real estate, Security, and the hospitality/gaming industry. Sam has trained over 1,000 entry level security personnel, taught defensive tactics, weapons training and handcuffs to policing personnel and the public. His knowledge and practical experience have made him a valuable asset to many organisations looking to enhance their security measures and provide a safe and secure environment for their clients and staff.