Security and other staff at the ‘sharp end’ (such as in corporate receptions) ought to be engaged in counter-terrorism (CT) and have the right tools, a senior CT policeman told the Security and Counter Terror Expo yesterday.
In one of the best-attended talks at the show, Supt Dave Roney said that the official Nactso (National Counter Terrorism Security Office) was publishing its latest advice on recognising terrorist threats; and an online checklist for protecting ‘crowded places’ such as stadiums. The official UK threat level from international terrorism – set at ‘severe’ since 2014 – will remain ‘for a substantial period of time’, he warned. More in the June 2017 print issue of Professional Security.
One of the biggest requests to police was for more knowledge, Roney went on; and in the last couple of years police have in his words ‘industrialised’ counter-terrorism awareness such as Project Griffin training, and the ‘run-hide-tell’ video, online. Expect an app soon to give refreshers to staff ‘at the sharp end’ (security and in reception) already Griffin-trained in how to recognise hostile reconnaissance (and, not forgetting, to report to police). The Argus training for managers to work out scenarios is likewise being refreshed. The CSSC (Cross-sector Safety and Security Communications) hub, sharing news and briefings in London for building and security managers, as during and after the March 22 terror attack in central London, is launching across regions.
Supt Roney is deputy national police co-ordinator for Protect and Prepare. Other talks at the event yesterday covered hotels, critical national infrastructure, the cyber threat to hospitals, UK railways, border security, and counterfeit documents.
Pictured is the entrance to the Houses of Parliament that was the scene of the March 22 terror attack; temporary metal gating has since been placed at the entry.
The two-day Expo at London Olympia runs next on March 6 and 7, 2018. Visit https://www.counterterrorexpo.com/.
