Counter terrorism

Counter terrorism is best managed when planning, event management, incident response safety, security, and service are reviewed together.

Event organisers have an obligation to provide a safe place for their employees to work, and for visitors to their attractions and events.

Consideration of the risk posed by terrorists must form part of this. It is essential that all threats have been considered, and appropriate measures implemented to manage the exposure to risk. It must be recognised and understood that assessing general event risk is different to assessing security risk.

When developing a plan for an event, it is essential to understand the principles of protective security. The measures should cover the deterring, detecting, delaying, mitigating and responding to an attack. It is not always appropriate to consider all of these aspects, but an understanding of how these work together is essential.

• Deter involves discouraging an attack by adding measures that would make it difficult to achieve, such as highly visible security patrols
• Detect involves being alert to potential attack behaviours. The presence of behavioural detection operatives (BDOs) or encouraging staff to be aware of hostile behaviour are examples of this
• Delay involves adding measures that increase the time it takes for attackers to get to a high-risk location once the attack starts. For example, ensuring that the right type of perimeter fencing is used so it is harder to breach
• Mitigate involves the use of measures to minimise the impact of an attack. This could include a hostile vehicle mitigation system to prevent vehicular access
• Respond involves ensuring that measures are in place to respond to an incident. This is crucial in ensuring that harm is kept to a minimum. Appropriate training of response staff and a credible response plan are key to ensuring that any incident is dealt with professionally

Security

When planning an event, make sure that your security operatives are following the law.

If you are using your existing staff or volunteers to support your event security plan and manage a range of threats, including criminal activity, unlawful protest, and terrorism, See, Check and Notify (SCaN) is a free training programme that aims to help organisations maximise safety and security using their existing resources. 

For further advice, visit security at events | GOV.UK.