Pictured is one of the anti-ram blockers, installed outside the temporary 500-bed London Nightingale Hospital, at the ExCel Centre, at London Docklands. It’s the Surface Guard, from the manufacturer of road blockers, bollards and vehicle barriers, ATG Access; and deployed by the event protection company Crowdguard.
After having originally having been alerted of a potential security vulnerability to vehicles at the ExCel Centre, Crowdguard fitted 40 metres of the Surface Guard at three places on the site within 36 hours. The product is pedestrian-permeable, and Crowdguard has also deployed a separate Authorised Vehicle Access Unit in front of the hospital, so that hospital operations can go on unaffected.
ATG Access has now also been commissioned to secure the 2,000-bed capacity field hospital in a temporary conversion of Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, from Monday, April 20. All necessary security products, once again deployed by Crowdguard, have been donated free the firms add.
Hardstaff Barriers, part of the wider HS Security Group, has also been enlisted to protect the Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate. Both Hardstaff Barriers and ATG are part of HS Security, a group of UK physical security product firms owned by Hill & Smith Holdings PLC.
Other recent deployments include outside the International Security Expo 2019 at London Olympia.
About the barrier
Designed in response to the mid and later 2010s vehicular attacks across Europe, a Surface Guard barrier can withstand the impact of a 7,200kg vehicle travelling at 32kph and has been tested twice in accordance to the IWA 14 crash test standard. The barrier’s lightweight and modular design means that it can be deployed by four men in under an hour, minimising disruption, the product firm adds.
Iain Moran, director at ATG Access, said: “Now, as ever, the public’s safety remains top priority and, to this end, we wanted to ensure that people don’t have to worry about security during these difficult times.
“We have a long-standing relationship with the ExCel Centre, having worked to protect the venue across a number of high-profile events in the past, so we knew what security measures would be needed for the temporary hospital. Due to Crowdguard’s expertise and unparalleled deployment network, we were able to work together to implement the necessary solutions rapidly and effectively, keeping key workers and critical infrastructure safe in these challenging times.”
And Deborah Ainscough, operations director at Crowdguard, said: “We are proud that, through innovations such as Surface Guard, we are at the forefront of securing the nation’s hospitals and, through this, ensuring that both vital key workers and patients affected by COVID-19 are kept safe.”
