Ten years after security concerns led to the cancellation of the now world famous Glastonbury Festival for one year only, summer music festivals remain the highlight of the season for people of all ages and from right across the country.
Hugely popular events like Download and Hard Rock Calling attract large crowds of festival-goers determined to enjoy the weather (on those rare occasions when it’s not raining!), the music and general party atmosphere.
The success of these festivals, though, is not only down to the calibre of the headline acts attending, but more significantly the effectiveness of the crowd management plan and security strategy devised beforehand and subsequently put into practice.
T in the Park and V Festival alone attract audience capacities of between 80,000 and 150,000 spectators. That being so, the overriding requirement to keep those visitors safe and secure throughout an event is critical.
Effective crowd management planning
Effective crowd management planning and the use of specialist companies is of paramount concern for event organisers. Why? With large gatherings such as these, it’s inevitable that the risk of security incidents including theft, violence, anti-social behaviour and vandalism increases.
Moreover, recent incidents throughout the world have highlighted the need for effective crowd management planning when scenarios develop that have the potential to cause irreparable damage to the national infrastructure, not to mention injury to – or even the death of – individuals.
In November 2010, it’s fair to say the world was shocked by the devastating outcome of the Water Festival in Cambodia, during which a stampede caused by overcrowding on a bridge resulted in the death of 345 youngsters and injuries of varying degrees of severity to several hundred others.
A second incident was the Love Parade in Duisburg, where 21 people lost their lives.
To avoid such tragedies, clear crowd management strategies must be in place. Personnel who have been trained as crowd safety officers with an NVQ Level 2 Award in Spectator Safety cover the important role of controlling the crowd and, assisted by trained and licensed security operatives, deterring criminals from their intent.
Both aspects are crucial in ensuring the Health and Safety of the event and guiding members of the public through an emergency response.
Choosing a reliable security contractor
It’s also vitally important for event organisers to use a reliable security contractor that will carry out thorough risk and site assessments, duly taking into consideration aspects such as the size and type of audience that the event is likely to attract, location of the festival, facilities available and whether it’s a free event or a ticketed one.
Such assessments will help ensure the right number of correctly trained personnel are employed and strategically positioned around those areas where members of the public will be gathering in numbers.
The work of the security contractor therefore starts well in advance of the event, ensuring all aspects of security and safety are accounted for and that effective communication strategies are established between all parties involved in the organisation and running of the event.
As the festival season gets into full swing, the role of the private security industry in ensuring the success of such events remains low key but is nonetheless absolutely essential.
For more information concerning crowd management security visit http://bsia.co.uk/crowdmanagement (a dedicated link is provided at the foot of this page)
Security Personnel Awards 2011: winners soon to be announced
Next month will see the national winners of the BSIA’s Security Personnel Awards recognised in a glittering ceremony at the Association’s prestigious Annual Luncheon.
On 13 July at the London Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, winners from a range of categories – including Best Use of Technology, Best Team, Best Newcomer, Service to the Customer and Outstanding Act – will be presented with their award.
The Security Personnel Awards recognise the excellent work and vital contribution that those operating in the security industry are making across the country, and will be presented by Lynne Featherstone MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Equalities and the Government minister with overall responsibility for security industry regulation.
Speaking exclusively to SMT Online about this year’s awards, the BSIA’s chief executive James Kelly commented: “Recognising the dedication and bravery of security personnel across the country is essential in driving our industry forward, and the BSIA’s Annual Luncheon provides the ideal opportunity for the industry to gather together and celebrate the successes of the past year.”
Attended by members and their selected customers, as well as influential industry figureheads and members of the security media, the BSIA’s Annual Luncheon has become a cornerstone of the security industry’s calendar.
Incorporating the Association’s Annual General Meeting, the event provides an excellent networking opportunity for members and the chance to recognise the achievements and developments of the past 12 months.
The BSIA would like to take this opportunity to thank Camberford Law plc for sponsoring the awards for the thirteenth successive year, and King’s Security Systems for sponsoring the luncheon.
The Big Issue: Closed loop recycling – a new era for information destruction
Thanks to continuous technological development within the private security industry, measures such as access control and information destruction are now being used beyond their traditional security function.
Access control and visitor monitoring systems can currently be used as part of intelligent solutions that work alongside Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) to help companies save money on their energy and heating bills.
In such solutions, data gathered by the security systems element is employed to inform the BEMS of the nature and function of the people occupying a heating zone. This information is applied by the BEMS to heat loss algorithms in order to determine the minimum amount of heat to be applied to a particular area, thereby reducing the amount of energy consumed and avoiding any unnecessary wastage.
Linking the secure disposal of confidential waste with recycling strategies is another way to reduce the environmental footprint of businesses.
Corporate Social Responsibility high on the business agenda
Despite the economic downturn, environmental issues and Corporate Social Responsibility remain high on the national business agenda.
In addition, the secure disposal of confidential waste ensures the protection of sensitive and confidential personal information.
Recycling plays a huge part in delivering both of these corporate priorities and, with Recycle Week approaching at the end of June, the BSIA is keen to inform businesses of the latest developments in the information destruction sector.
A new scheme, pioneered by a BSIA member, ensures compliance with Data Protection regulation while implementing sustainable waste management services that can result in multiple business benefits, not least significant cost savings.
The scheme, known as ‘closed loop recycling’, ensures ultimate data security by returning recycled paper back to the client after processing.
Closed loop recycling works like this: the information destruction company collects confidential waste paper from the client, shreds it and bails it. Next, the paper is sent to a collaborating paper mill where it’s recycled and turned into ‘new’ office paper. This is then sold back to the client company at a competitive commercial rate.
Positive co-operation between all parties
The success of the scheme is largely due to the positive co-operation between all parties. To date, 325 tonnes of paper have been shredded and recycled, saving 5,514 trees and helping 729 m3 of waste avoid landfill.
Moreover, the client company is granted peace of mind, knowing that its waste is being handled in line with European and UK regulations and at the same time benefiting from considerable return on investment due to the savings made by buying back the original paper once it has been recycled.
In point of fact, more than half of the paper used by the client firm’s 2,500 partners and staff in its London office is now recycled paper acquired through this scheme.
To reinforce the importance of Best Practice in the information destruction sector, the BSIA is hosting its second annual Information Destruction conference and exhibition, aimed at sharing knowledge among suppliers and service providers within the information destruction industry.
The event takes place next Wednesday (8 June) at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, and will be essential for keeping up-to-speed with key developments in the industry.
A limited number of places are still available: to secure yours, call the BSIA’s Christine Brooks on 0845 389 0743 or contact Christine by e-mail at: [email protected]
Amanda Beesley is PR and marketing communications manager at the BSIA
