One of the longest features Professional Security has ever run was in 2000, when we visited what was then the Millennium Dome, at Greenwich, as guests of the then site guarding contractor G4S. Much has changed since, to the Dome – now the year-round entertainment destination, The O2 – to the regenerated Peninsula it stands on, and to the world, and the security threats.
We take up an invitation from Richard Latham, the Head of Security at The O2 in London, to see how security there has developed in the last couple of years. Professional Security MD Roy Cooper finds the security set up, and the man, in tune with the indoor venue. He begins:
I snapped up Richard’s invite because I was interested. I came away fascinated, by the security there and by the qualities Richard has shown to do it all. Private security people aren’t only interested in how others go about their jobs, they dine out, and visit concerts, and if they don’t any more, their children do. Security has changed with the times, and we at Professional Security know that about The O2 more than others. For in our April 2000 issue we featured what was then the new Millennium Dome, and the G4S guarding.
If you want to do business with The O2, by the way, don’t call it the Dome – that’s the ‘D-word’; they’re very careful to call it by the sponsor’s name all the time. And I found that same attention to detail with the security, even as I walked from the Tube station, North Greenwich. Signage tells you well in advance that you are not allowed to bring large bags into the Arena and that you are liable for search. In case you weren’t paying attention, more signage tells you; and like at airports you can try to put your bag inside a frame to see if it’s small enough to meet the rules or not.
At the Arena, Professional Security did have quite a large bag, so we were, with impeccable customer service, directed to the left to the x-ray screening. And we went on our way. The O2 then, like many London landmarks and public buildings such as the Houses of Parliament, Richard’s previous workplace, has extra checks on people. It reminded me – the signage, the good nature of the security staff, and the sheer number of people that are going through – with the 2012 Olympics, and The O2 was an Olympic venue.
More to follow; more pictures in the February 2018 print issue of Professional Security magazine.
For more on the venue’s bag screening and search policy visit https://www.theo2.co.uk/visit-us/security.
