Security & Counter Terror Expo (SCTX) will return to London on March 5 and 6, the two-day show running on the Tuesday and Wednesday. Members of the FBI, European Union policing agency Europol and the Metropolitan Police will be there to share their latest counter terror strategies.
As the annual event organisers say, the two years to 2018 bear witness to some of the more abhorrent and impactful attacks that the UK and Europe have seen. By focusing on ‘soft targets’ and crowded places, extremists were able to cause damage and panic. Last year also saw businesses of all sizes come under attack from cyber criminals, with numerous high-profile data breaches affecting customers and operations.
The 2019 edition of SCTX will provide those responsible for keeping assets and civilians safe with a place to source new equipment and prepare for all types of attack, be it physical or cyber. Equally, they will be able to hear from some of the most senior members of governments and global intelligence services in the show’s conference programme.
Richard Walton, the former Head of the Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) and SCTX advisory board member, said: “Security forces across Europe have been working on bi-lateral projects and training exercises for decades. Sharing best practice and developing the means to protect our civilian population is paramount to what they do. SCTX will yet again provide the platform for this collaboration and cohesion, across security forces.”
The World Counter Terror Congress (WCTC) hosted by Alistair Bunkall – Sky News Defence and Security Correspondent – will outline the key theme of collaboration. The WCTC has speakers from the FBI, Europol, Spanish Interior Ministry, Indonesian Police and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Through collaboration, discussion and preparation, the counter-terror and policing community is creating a network of information sharing for venues, transport hubs and crowded place operators to take responsibility for protecting their sites, and people.
The Transport & Border Security conference will highlight some of the key threats. With contribution from the British Transport Police, delegates will hear the efforts being made to keep public transport safe. Beyond government bodies, delegates will also hear from transport hubs themselves – as Border Security Manager at Gatwick, Andrew Palmer, discusses the challenges and successes of behavioural detection.
With the UK Department for Transport, Counter Terror Policing will explore new avenues of threat mitigation, for attendees to learn more about how and why industry collaboration is so important.
For events, specialists, including Sports Ground Safety Authority’s Head of Inspectorate, Ken Scott, will share insights into protecting large-scale sport. Beverly Griffiths, Director of Resilience, Capability Lead for Events and Public Safety – Emergency Planning College, is among other contributors in this strand. Former Gold Commander for the 2012 Olympics, Robert Broadhurst OBE, QPM, said: “With dedicated opportunities like the Crowded Places conference, industry, police forces and intelligence services can disseminate information that will help give business and establishments the confidence to act appropriately and protect their patrons. One of the biggest challenges we face in the years ahead is going to be developing and maintaining a ‘whole society’ approach to protection – this is where SCTX comes in. Pubs, bars and restaurants are regulated from an alcohol and food licensing angle, but what about how they behave during acts of terror – do they lock the doors? Where and what is the evacuation plan?”
The 2019 programme will include: World Counter Terror Congress (WCTC), Armed Response & Intervention, Crowded Places, Transport & Border Security, Critical National Infrastructure Security, Forensics Europe, Ambition.
Security & Counter Terror Expo 2019 will be co-located with Ambition, the EPPR Expo and Forensics Europe Expo. To register to attend or for more details visit http://www.counterterrorexpo.com. The Counter Terror Awards are on March 5 at the ILEC Conference Centre.
