How do you avoid the misaligned incentives in this case in terms of asking whether or not thing X needs protection to the person whose job is justified by thing

How do you avoid the misaligned incentives in this case in terms of asking whether or not thing X needs protection to the person whose job is justified by thing X needing protection? If the answer were a resounding "ohh no, that's silly," do we think someone in his role would ever utter it?