URI Segment Database Safety

[eluser]nullsys[/eluser]
Hi all!
I'm sure this is fairly standard stuff, but it's better to be safe than sorry (pun not intended).

I'm working with pulling $this->uri->segment(n) data to query an ID in the database. Fairly standard stuff.
But, do I need to run my own validation and security for this before sending it through Active Record?

I'm already ensuring the uri->segment is a valid number by doing the following:

Code:

preg_match('/^-?[0-9]+$/', (string)$param)

Can anyone think of anything else I might need to do (if anything) before sending it to Active Record?

Thanks in advance.