A question and answer session between Professional Security and Philip Hunter – Events Director at Counter Terror Expo. The annual conference and exhibition runs on April 29 and 30 at London Olympia.
Visit www.counterterrorexpo.com
Question: Best start by asking who the event is aimed at – counter-terror specialist, private security professional or government, or a bit of all three?
Philip Hunter: Counter Terror Expo 2014 is primarily aimed at Government officials, Military, Police, Intelligence Service, Corporate Security Professionals, the Emergency Services and all those involved with or concerned with protection against the terrorist threat. We also aim the event at owners of large / sensitive sites, critically important sites and infrastructure, large international corporations, high net worth brands and individuals as these sites are often a prime terrorist target.
The show is therefore relevant to any security professional who serves the needs and requirements of this vast audience sector. Whether that’s an installer or integrator, manufacturer or distributor, or security end user, if your company or your team advises these kind of businesses on their security requirements, Counter Terror Expo 2014 is a must attend event.
Q: As protection against terrorism is often the job for the security person in an organisation, who may well be trained and equipped and staffed to manage security rather than terrorism, what is particular to protection against terrorism and what protection measures can do a double-shift as it were against crime generally, and terrorism?
Philip Hunter: Counter Terrorism security is arguably the highest level of security and as such if you have security in place to a Counter Terrorism standard/level then you are more than likely securing yourself against other threats like trespass, burglary, theft, personnel misconduct, criminal damage etc.
Security professionals have been coming to Counter Terror Expo over the last five years to find a wide selections of solutions which tend to be top of the range and high quality due to the importance of what is being protected. These visitors are looking for innovation to combat the ever changing threat landscape, the shifting nature of the threat networks and nature of the threat as it evolves – both in terms of the direction it can come from and the nature of the threat itself. The kinds of solutions in the show which help to do this includes; Access Control, CCTV, Video Analysis, Surveillance, Covert Surveillance, Situational Awareness, Tracking and Monitoring and Intruder Alert.
Q: Is there something to be said about the need for security people to be good neighbours, if only because an attack on their neighbours is also their problem?
Philip Hunter: Networking is crucial amongst security professionals. In fact, this is the raison d’être for the show – sourcing new and innovative kit, networking and sharing best practice and intelligence to enable a joined up fight against the different threat networks. We work with National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) to ensure they have a presence at the Counter Terror Expo purely to disseminate their projects and advice, engage with business, share knowledge on threats and suspicious activity which is paramount for wider security. Indeed, protecting critical national infrastructure is a crucial element of this joined up approach, where one attack can lead to a number of national issues and repercussions.
Q: And is there anything to be said about how UK has good work it can export on counter-terrorism – or does the UK need to bang the drum for itself in overseas markets a bit more?
Philip Hunter: The United Kingdom is seen as a market leader in Counter Terrorism. The insurgency in Northern Ireland and subsequent IRA activities over last 30 to 40 years has provided the UK with extensive expertise and experience in this field. In fact, the UK is very successful at protecting crowded places, sports events, large shopping centres and big events like the Olympic have led many security professionals from the United Kingdom being asked to consult overseas regarding Counter Terrorism matters. The UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, which is built around the four P’s; Pursue: to stop terrorist attacks; • Prevent: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism; • Protect: to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack; and• Prepare: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack, is highly regarded throughout the rest of the world as a template for governments to follow.
Over 82 countries are represented at Counter Terror Expo 2014 with over 368 VIP & International Delegations attending the event which is a clear demonstration of the security expertise available within the UK security industry.
Q: To what extent (if at all) is cyber a matter for counter-terrorism, besides security?
Philip Hunter: Cyber security is currently not a core tool of terrorists and there are not many instances where an event can be defined as terrorism rather than e-crime of hacking mischief, but it does have the potential to be used by them, and the potential threat could be huge.
There is concern that terrorists could disrupt critical national infrastructure through IT/communications, network penetration or process control system hacking, or cause alarm and terror through the use of broadcast and social media (as seen this year in South Korea and the White House). It is paramount that we look at this potential tool to cause harm and ensure that we are proactively protecting ourselves.
Q: Terrorism and counter-terrorism have changed greatly; what might the future hold?
Philip Hunter: It is difficult to predict what the threat landscape of the future will look like, what direction the threat will come from, which threat networks will be the ones to watch and what the exact nature of the threat will be.
There are now more potential threats than ever before with a plethora of different threat networks and organisations openly stating their intent and vying for awareness and profile – from single faction groups, emerging groups, to wide spread and even franchised or dispirit ideological networks, to the disenfranchised and radicalised individual.
The events of 9/11 were unprecedented and since then we have seen both an escalation and a diversity of attacks which we have never seen before, right up to Woolwich, the Algerian Oil refinery attack and Westgate Nirobi shopping mall marauding terrorist firearms attack just in the past 12 months. All three very different and all three needs to be defended against in the future. With the radicalisation of Britons going overseas and coming back fully trained/home grown terrorism, European Radicalisation, AQ franchise model, other factions and individuals growing in strength we must continually review the threat landscape, review the networks and the actors, and refine our approach and intelligence.
Counter Terror Expo 2014 will bring the industry together to discuss, review and participate in discussions and conference streams about areas of Counter Terrorism and security which could potentially be exploited for use of terrorism. These include cyber, securing public spaces, critical national infrastructure, tactical counter terror and emergency services.
Counter Terror Expo 2014 will include a number of conferences which will be geared towards helping us prepare against the future threat, in whatever form it takes or from whatever direction it comes.
Visit www.counterterrorexpo.com
