Page 27 - SyI Quarterly 9 final

1. Train well.
Make best use of the freely available counter terrorism information and training,
particularly ACT e-learning and the PROTECT UK app. This will help staff know
more about terrorism, identify security vulnerabilities, suspicious behaviours and
how to respond to an attack. Terrorism is a foreseeable health and safety risk,
consider the ACT e-learning in your mandatory Health and Safety training for staff.
The training can be completed in modules and the whole course takes around 45
minutes to complete. Less than an hour’s training could help save lives.

2. Identify and manage risk.
Consider a terrorist attack in your risk management process and appreciate
the spectrum of attack methods. Different types of attack will require different
responses. In your risk register, focus on mitigations that can reduce the
probability of an attack happening, as well as those controls to minimise the
impact it could have on your business. Know the limitations of your controls
and ask questions to understand them. For example, are your external patrols
directed against those locations where hostile reconnaissance is likely? Do you
know if there are blind spots in your CCTV operation? Have those blind spots been
assessed to see if further mitigations are required to reduce the vulnerability? The
police provide free guidance, scalable to businesses of varying sizes, to help risk
management.
3. Have a plan and test it.
Have a plan for what you’ll do in the event of an attack and practice it. The Centre
for the Protection of National Infrastructure provide free guidance, again scalable
to your business needs. The first time you test your plan should not be in response
to an attack. If you currently have a schedule of fire alarm and evacuation tests,
consider implementing a scheme to practice your response to a terrorist attack too.

Defending our realm is not just a job for MI5 and the police. The festive season
is traditionally a time of heightened risk, with the police and MI5 tracking an
increased number of threats, with information of varying credibility, thus making
assessments difficult. Staff, visitors, and the public should have the confidence
to report any concerns or suspicious behaviours to the authorities, as their
information could be vital to investigations. Concerns can be reported in several
ways, detailed on the Action Counters Terrorism website. Working together we can
help our businesses, staff and visitors stay safe from those who seek us harm.
About the author

Andrew Donaldson CSyP MSyl, is Head of Security for Real Estate Management (UK)
Limited and Co-Chair of the Security Institute’s Counter Terrorism Special Interest
Group. He gives his take on how security professionals can help keep people and
property safe during the festive period and prepare for the new PROTECT Duty.