RiskUKOctober2017

Opinion: Crowded Places Security and Counter-Terrorism
Focusing on people
When recruiting for security teams, strict
background checks are, of course, vital. When
the right people have been recruited,
investment in ongoing training, including
industry-recommended Security Industry
Authority accreditation and equipment-focused
courses, is needed to ensure they can perform
to their highest ability. Furthermore, this
empowers them to be that much more
confident in making strategic decisions about
responding to specific threats.
Security officers put themselves in harm’s
way so it’s critical that businesses equip them
with the right knowledge and skills to respond
safely to threats. Looking out for the well-being
of its teams should be a key priority of any
security business, and especially so at points of
heightened concern.
Business leaders – including executives and
those based at head office – should be seen
standing shoulder to shoulder with their teams
on the front line on a regular basis, and never
more so than in the wake of an incident.
In the immediate aftermath of the
Manchester Arena attack, many executives and
security leaders across the industry worked
alongside event staff and security teams. The
senior team at OCS was on hand and worked
together with venue executives from the
Liverpool Arena and AEG’s O2 to reassure
colleagues on duty at subsequent Iron Maiden
and Take That concerts. Management working
alongside staff is so important for morale. Not
only does it show solidarity, but also
demonstrates how much we value our security
teams as well as helping those in charge to
better understand the challenges faced by
colleagues on the front line.
Concern for others is a key fundamental in
this industry. People visiting an arena for an
event or a concert are there to enjoy
themselves and, while the goal of the security
team is to be diligent and mitigate risk, the
public’s experience must also be a top priority.
An immediate response
When incidents do happen, we must respond
immediately. This is true not just for
organisations directly affected, but for those in
the wider area and industry. Intelligence comes
at incredible speed from the authorities and
industry bodies. In practice, this means MI5
may raise the terrorism threat level from
‘Substantial’ to ‘Severe’ or even ‘Critical’.
Security companies must be ready to adapt
accordingly in very short order.
At this point, meetings are held by those
responsible for event security to agree what
additional resources are needed and how these
will be deployed. Those resources may include
personal search equipment (metal detectors,
wands and arches, etc), additional surveillance,
physical pat-downs and bag searches and the
introduction of sniffer or general purpose
security dogs or extra staff.
As threat levels rise, so too does the
complexity of the response needed and,
indeed, the cost of implementing it. This is why
initial planning is so important. Changes to
procedures and policies also need to be
reassuringly communicated to the public.
Public opinion and perception is incredibly
important when it comes to events. If people
don’t feel safe when attending events, then the
whole industry – and even the economy – will
suffer. Security must create a feeling of safety
and reassurance around a venue, but not to the
extent that a given premises becomes an
impenetrable fortress. There’s a delicate
balance to be struck between public safety and
rigorous control allied to the need for creating a
hospitable and welcoming environment.
Customer service must be a key priority
following incidents. This needs to be
emphasised to front line security teams. The
importance of reassuring individuals at these
times cannot be understated, and those
messages must be backed up in reality.
The primary goal is to afford customers
positive experiences such that they’re happy to
queue, be scanned and searched and follow
tighter restrictions for safer events.
Andrew Mortimer:
Managing Director of
Destinations and Venues at
OCS Group
“Even the mere presence of well-trained security officers
with the ability to detect and identify ‘hostiles’ can
potentially disrupt reconnaissance activity”
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