Gordon Brown has announced measures to give better protection against terror attacks on rail stations, airports, shopping centres and sports stadiums, as drawn up by security minister Lord West. But where will the money come from?
Two men from Hyder Consulting who speak on security and national infrastructure issues are Dr Peter Ryan and Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Chris Parker MBE. Dr Ryan the former chief constable who as chief of police in New South Wales was in charge of security at the 2000 Olympics, was the cover story of Professional Security Magazine in February 2007. He is Group Director for Critical Infrastructure and Resilience at Hyder Consulting. We spoke to Chris Parker, who joined the consultancy in the autumn, as Operations Director for Homeland Security and Resilience. He did challenge the government on details as to where the funding for anti-terrorism security measures will come from. For example, might there be tax breaks for companies installing such measures?
First, though, Professional Security asked, playing devil’s advocate; is the Government trying to teach security managers to suck eggs?! Chris Parker replied that Hyder have been lobbying for some time to get clear direction from the Government on the issue: "So we should welcome clear directions. At least they [the Government] are saying what they think we should be doing; and how it should be funded over the coming years, which is important. Security managers do know they job and are professional people, but we could all do with reviewing our sites." Such a site update could find vulnerabilities that might not be realised by the site manager, Chris Parker suggested. He queried whether some of the security measures put in place are sending the right message to potential terrorists; as he said, ‘a chance to deter an attack during the reconnaissance stage’.
Professional Security Magazine mentioned Project Griffin, the training and briefing for security staff on looking for suspicious behaviour. The Griffin on-line training package as recently launched in the City of London featured in the October issue of Professional Security. Chris Parker described Griffin as excellent, adding: "I think there’s a stage beyond Griffin where it needs either specialist advice or a regular review of security just to make sure all these things in Project Griffin are being enacted on the ground."
Professional Security next asked about the need for balance, between securing things, and the convenience of the public? Chris Parker agreed, saying that an airport-like logjam was not wanted. "We need to have an open transport system, an open society, with measures to prevent these evil people causing attacks. This is one of the key roles now of a security manager, to maintain that balance and not to go too far to stop our way of life going on."
Finally, Professional Security recalled the recent speech at the Skills for Security conference by Met Police Supt Malcolm Baker on the upcoming London Olympics, where he stressed the need to work now towards 2012. Chris Parker agreed that now was the opportunity to prepare for 2012; and at the same time allow some excellent, modern thinking to be applied to current building sites, public spaces, and transport. "Most security managers will be well advised to think about what role they could be playing in 2012," Chris Parker said. He pointed out that a lot of companies are upgrading premises or going into new premises: "That is why companies like ours – we are a design and engineering company, primarily, with a security arm – we try and build all our measures into new builds," to avoid the cost of retro-fitting security measures later. As for what measures a building might need, Chris Parker added that on the Wednesday afternoon of the ISNR (International Security National Resilience) Conference at Olympia, in west London on December 5, he is running a demonstration of a scenario rehearsal of a city centre, and a stadium; by going through such a rehearsal, he suggested, it is possible to tighten your security planning.
Dr Peter Ryan commented on the Prime Minister’s November 14 statement: "Lord West’s report is a great result for those of us who have been campaigning for the Government to focus more energy on developing the Critical National Infrastructure. Many aspects of our national infrastructure from transportation to electricity, water, oil and gas installations and vital data networks remain extremely vulnerable to terrorist threat, and it’s imperative that the Government use the expertise available to them to ensure our safety now and for future generations.
"Hyder Consulting welcome Lord West’s findings, and is looking forward to working alongside the Government and the private sector to deliver a more secure environment for us to live in."
Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Chris Parker MBE commented: "It’s very good news indeed that the Government are taking the threat of terrorism and security issues seriously. In the current climate of global terrorism, we need to look at security issues in a different way to previous generations, from how we manage security in crowded areas to how we design our buildings and railways. We look forward to discussing these issues alongside Lord West at the ISNR (International Security National Resilience) Conference in London from December 3 to 5, to move forward from the new recommendations and start planning for the future."
About Dr Peter Ryan
Dr Peter Ryan, the former chief security adviser to the International Olympic Committee and former UK Chief of Police, is Group Director for Critical Infrastructure and Resilience at Hyder Consulting. Peter has vast experience in global security projects having previously held the posts of Chief Police Commissioner of New South Wales, Australia, Chief Security Commander of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Chairman of the Interpol Training Committee, and Head of British Royal Family security. Peter is also a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute and is auditing the security arrangements of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
About Chris Parker
Chris was Commanding Officer of the joint operations in Basra, in charge of all military operations in the city and has recently joined Hyder Consulting as Operations Director of Homeland Security and Resilience. Chris was awarded an MBE for his role as Chief of Staff for the Desert Rats in Iraq in 2003 and was selected for early promotion to Lieutenant Colonel at the age of 35. Chris built up specialist knowledge in the planning and conduct of modern security operations from counter-terrorist and influence operations to full scale war fighting joint operations. He has helped draft and review the current Met Police 2012 Concept of Operations.
About Hyder Consulting
Hyder Consulting is a management and infrastructure consultancy offering planning, engineering design and environmental services. The company employs around 1,300 staff in the UK and 3,200 globally. The company listed on the London Stock Exchange in October 2002.
