Appropriately, the book Event Security and Leadership was launched at an event on Tuesday evening, September 15, at the Farringdon, London head office of Corps Security. Pictured second and third from the left are the co-authors, Dr Mike McDonagh and Charles Swanson. Pictured right is the host, Corps CEO Mike Bullock, who was among speakers at the gathering. Pictured left is BSIA chief Mike Reddington, among the guests.
Earlier, Corps stalwart and former chair of the Security Institute Mike Bluestone opened the evening, and introduced Lord Carlile, a former president of the Institute, who related interestingly how he came to be asked by the then Home Secretary David Blunkett to be the reviewer of terrorism legislation in 2001, on the very eve of the 9-11 terror attacks in the United States which led to a drastic increase in the work of review.ย Among those attending were security consultants, Corps people (including two Commissionaires on the door) and well-wishers. The two authors recalled how they met through the Chartered Security Professional (CSyP) status, when Charles was one of a panel interviewing Mike who was seeking to join the CSyP register, administered by the Institute.
Speaking to Professional Security, Charles Swanson said: “As an industry, we are much better than we think we are; we are enthusiastic, professional. Mike [McDonagh] and I wrote this book because it needed to be read. We can’t see another Manchester Arena attack, it can’t happen again, and we strongly believe that if the right people read this book it is going to lesson the chances of another attack. I know these are strong words, but they are something we believe.” And Mike McDonagh told Professional Security of how he and Charles wanted as many people from all walks of life as possible to read it. He said: “We have tried to keep it practical, full of advice; for the protective security officer on the ground, up to lords, ladies and politicians to turn to.”
About the book
The 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bomber and other acts of terror loom large over the book; but so do other, non-terror or even non-criminal risks, such as the ticketing problems that led to disruption of the Champions League final in Paris in 2022, besides the ‘stark lessons’ (page 326′) of the mass gate-crashing of Wembley for the final of the Euros football tournament in July 2021. The book’s scope is strikingly wide – both geographically, making plain (as in the case of Wembley) that protection of an event has to be well beyond the physical boundary of the venue, the so-called ‘last mile’ or ‘zone ex’; and in terms of what needs to be taken into account, in the cyber and real worlds, before, during and after an event. While Martyn’s Law – formally known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – gets a chapter, so do crisis management; crisis communication, training, and open-source and other intelligence gathering, among other topics. The authors conclude (page 401): “Event security is no longer a reactive function; it is a strategic discipline grounded in foresight, intelligence and leadership …. Those who lead in this space must do more than protect; they must anticipate, communicate, and adapt with clarity and confidence.”
About the authors
Dr Mike McDonagh, a former senior police detective, gained his doctorate in counter terrorism legislation and community protection (which, as he related at the launch, included meeting Lord Carlile). He’s a Fellow of the Security Institute, and the ISRM (Institute of Strategic Risk Management). Charles Swanson served in the Royal Military Police (RMP), and has since forged a career in private security as a site assessor, author and academic lecturer. Both men are Chartered Security Professionals.
To buy a copy of the book, ยฃ51.99 paperback, visit the Routledge website.
A review will appear in the November 2026 edition of Professional Security Magazine.
