As the investigation into the tragic events that took place at the Manchester Arena in May 2017 continues, security experts have raised concerns around the breadth of security training needed to identify potential threats.[1] While the nature of threats to our national security is constantly changing, a baseline of awareness and behavioural detection is vital to ensure safety and security as we go about our daily lives. In line with this, the CPNI (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure) updated their guidance on increasing the protection of crowded places from a terrorist attack last month[2].
As a result of the ongoing investigation we will see widespread changes to security policy, specifically in the events and rail sectors, and ideally a shift towards a more security-positive workplace culture across all industries. The foundation of this culture is high quality training across areas including threat assessment and behaviour detection.
In this ever-changing threat environment, specific training will enable staff in potentially exposed sectors to be aware of the potential risks which might otherwise evade detection. Staff need to know how to spot and respond to potential threat. You can never train too many people in your organisation to identify suspicious behaviour and know how to act. It’s training like this, across all levels of responsibility from top to bottom, that will support teams in creating a cohesive and comprehensive security ecosystem.
Paul Mason is Managing Director of the Safety and Security Division at Air Partner, which includes Redline Assured Security. For more information, please visit https://www.trustredline.co.uk/