Page 26 - SyI Quarterly 9 final

Our Membership

Defending our realm is not just

a job for MI5 and the police

By Andrew Donaldson CSyP FSyI

416 years ago, the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ to
blow up the House of Lords was disrupted,
accredited to an anonymous letter sent to
the authorities.

Centuries later, providing information to
the police and MI5 is critical in detecting
and disrupting terrorism and other security
risks. Explosive devices endure as a serious
threat, although recent terrorist attacks
have often involved less sophisticated
weapons to cause casualties. Preventing
such attacks and casualties is a key objective
of the pending PROTECT Duty, arguably the
most significant change to security in recent
years.

With government consultation on the new
legislation now closed and civil servants
considering the components of the Duty,
businesses should not wait for statutory
regulation to take steps to protect their
buildings, other assets, and people from
terrorism. Counter terrorism measures
will also benefit a business’s overall resilience
by impacting the intent and capability of hostile
actors and reducing the business’s vulnerability
to the acts they seek to undertake. Three simple
steps can help businesses, staff and visitors keep
safe, now.