In the September print issue of the magazine.
Nigel Churton, chief executive of consultancy Control Risks Group, recalls July 7 and looks ahead to what it may mean for corporate security.
Speaking from the South Bank offices of CRG, he recalled how he went to the pub for lunch on July 7; and was struck by the sensible discussions between pub-goers about the terror attacks. One person, for instance, made the point that London represents Britain and thus will be a target. Nor was the person saying he was going to leave the capital as a result of the attack. Looking back, Nigel said: “We can be quite proud of ourselves,” and not in a stiff-upper-lip sort of way, he added; there is, rather, a natural resilience in people, based on experience (such as the IRA bombs starting 30 years ago).
On Today
Eight days later, Nigel was interviewed on Radio 4’s Today programme, to comment on City of London Police security advice about terror [you can download at www.londonfirst.co.uk]. Nigel made the familiar CRG points about a reasoned approach; about the need for balance between security and restricting businesses and business people. Put another way, a risk-based approach: accepting the employer’s duty of care, but not locking everything down, expensively and intrusively. Notoriously, people get little time to make their points on Today. So it was that Nigel went into more detail with Professional Security. He had three points: briefly, about what we know of human bombers; the possibility of more manned guards at front entrances, and the potential for bag searches, even detectors; and maybe yet more CCTV.
Good work
This is not to say, he stressed, that the security since 9-11 and before July 7 has been no good. Quite the opposite: “A hell of a lot of good work has been done, by companies thinking it through; but what we have here is a new threat.” There is a limit on the size of a suicide bomb – namely, what a man can sensibly and discreetly carry without looking like a Sherpa on Everest. “So what we are talking about is a bomb that will do a lot of damage but not the same size as a vehicle bomb or a large case, left somewhere. So from a business point of view we need somehow to stop them getting into the building. Now one of the things we have noticed at Control Risks and watching this whole pattern of events, both with al-Qaeda around the world and in Israel, is when they [a human bomber] go up against the first line of authority, whether men carrying out checks like at the JH Marriott bomb in Jakarta; even if he has not got to the target pre-selected, he will explode; because one of the things seems to be, once they set out they will blow themselves up. There are very few cases – only one I have seen – the guy has got cold feet and handed himself in and not blown himself up. So it seems to me we have to stop them getting into the buildings. I think it is logical to accept we will see the security barriers come closer and closer to the front of office complexes; there will be more uniformed guards or sensible observation. And secondly I think we might start seeing, like New York, people being asked to undergo bag searches or open briefcases, or even walk through metal detectors. As they have in New York. There is an argument that people will not accept this. I actually think the people are pretty good at accepting things, if it makes them feel more comfortable going to work. People will put up with a great deal more invasion of privacy, to put it crudely, if they realise it is going to make everything safer, for them and colleagues. So I would not be surprised to see more walk-through metal detectors, bag searches, becoming the norm in major buildings like the Exchange, and big multi-tenanted buildings.”
More CCTV
We are the most CCTV’d country in the world, Nigel added, but the success of CCTV was proven again in the investigation after July 7: “And I think this will lead to even more demand for CCTV.” With that general demand will come a need for quality in recordings and in maintenance, he added. As Nigel said, these are interesting times; while the July 7 bombers struck in public space, aiming for mass casualties, there is a dilemma for public spaces in London such as Canary Wharf; and big shopping centres in the regions such as Trafford Park and Bluewater. Nor should we forget the threat of the vehicle bomb. Not that July 7 came as a shock, he went on; it is something we have had to watch for, for four years; hence a huge effort already. “And we have been good in this country. I think the emergency services and police did tremendous work [on and after July 7] and continue to do so.”
Information
A point from Professional Security: what of the swift crush of media news about the attacks, and yet the huge demand for information from people wanting to know loved one are safe? As security manager readers reported last issue, much of the effort on July 7 was to do with reassuring people. Nigel replied that he was able to stand in CRG 24 [the 24-hour response room, featured in the September 2001 issue of Professional Security] as July 7 unfolded. There were the pictures of the scenes, from CNN, ITV, BBC and so on; and everyone around the world could watch the same pictures, and make assessments. “I think the difficulty is to get concise information out to one’s employees, quickly, which is reassuring and also to offer to help, if they are missing people, to get those people concerned into an environment where we could start to help them; because there is still a duty of care. This is not just ‘motherhood and apple pie’, it’s important for companies not to see panic setting in, people roaring out of buildings.” That requires law enforcers to give quality information as soon as possible; even a little information, that CRG and others and building managers and firms can work with. Nigel spoke of pager networks in the City of London and elsewhere as very effective on July 7. Quite apart from CRG advising clients, CRG had its own staff to consider; the advice for July 7 turned out to be: stay in the building, take stock, and work out then how to proceed – how for example to get home. For CRG on July 7, clients were for example Americans, stating that they had staff in Hotel X in London or in Stratford upon Avon; are they near bombs? The need, plainly, in such an incident is for good, timely information, to give reassurance; just as was the case after the Bali, Riyadh and other bombs.
