Some parts of the Government’s “CONTEST” strategy to counter terrorism, of most relevance to private security readers.
For saying that much of the UK utilities and transport and businesses that have been targets of extremism since 9-11 are owned and run by the private sector, the document does not have much to say about private industry compared with what Government is doing for it.
Until the Home Office document says:
"The private security industry is a key partner of Government in the development of protective security measures and capabilities for the national infrastructure, for crowded places and for other sites assessed to require heightened security.
And the strategy makes a plea for private sector designing out of crime when it says:
"In a more challenging economic climate the Government will need to secure continued commitment from the private sector to invest in protective security measures; this will put a premium on ensuring that business operators, planners, architects and designers think in terms of ‘designing out’
vulnerabilities."
Only a couple of pages are devoted to Government’s work with the private sector on countering terror, though as the document says: "With the majority of the sites and assets that we are seeking to protect in the ownership of the private sector, it is vital that Government works in close partnership
to identify proportionate programmes of security enhancements."
On the London Olympics, the document says that since December 2008, multi-agency Olympic security planning has been led by the Olympic Security Directorate in OSCT. The document says that counter-terror is one among potential risks to the 2012 Games including public order, crime (volume crime, violent crime, and serious organised crime) and non-terrorist incidents such as flooding. The document adds that the authorities seek significant legacy benefits from the Olympic Security Strategy, from new systems and technologies, which will also support the security arrangements for the Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow in 2014
Advice is delivered through more than 250 Counter Terrorism Security Advisers (CTSAs) around the UK, including 70 recruited in 2008/09 to support the delivery of the Government’s crowded places programme.
"Since May 2006 CTSAs have provided comprehensive protective security guidance and given advice to over 500 sports stadia, over 600 shopping centres and over 10,000 city and town centre bars and nightclubs. Since January 2007, CTSAs have also run over 700 Project ARGUS scenariobased
training events to city and town centre businesses to help them identify measures they can take to protect themselves, and their customers, and recover from a terrorist attack."
In West Midlands for instance: "Twelve Project ARGUS exercises have been delivered to 356 Birmingham retail businesses and crowded places security advice to 26 high
risk sites (including, for example, the Bull Ring Shopping Centre).
The National Barrier Asset was established in 2004 providing
police forces with a capability to deploy temporary specialist protective security barriers to protect high profile locations
or temporary events, such as political party conferences, from vehicle borne suicide attacks. In 2008 the size of the National Barrier Asset was tripled to meet expected demand.
The document also speaks of disrupting those who spread violent extremism:
"Evidence and intelligence suggest that the ideology of violent extremism gains influence through individuals and groups who actively promote it: the messenger is as important as the message. Radicalisers exploit open spaces in communities and institutions, including mosques, educational establishments, prisons, youth clubs and a wide range of private venues."
You can read the 176-page document at –
