“Providing security for the nation and for its citizens remains the most important responsibility of Government”… “There is a need to protect the United Kingdom and its interests, enabling its citizens to go about their daily lives freely and with confidence in a more secure, stable, just and prosperous world”… “We [the Government] will be hard-headed about the risks, our aims and our capabilities. We will adopt a rigorous approach to assessing the threats and risks to our security, and the options for tackling them”…
These quotes are taken from the ‘National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom: Security in an Interdependent World’. Published in March and duly reviewed in Security Management Today (‘Plan of action’, SMT, May 2008, pp30-32), the document represents the Government’s attempt to devise a security programme that dovetails neatly with the remit of recently formulated agencies including the Centre for the Protection of Critical National Infrastructure and the National Counter-Terrorism Security Office.
It’s also a direct response to the fact that incidents around the globe have shown terrorists to be drawn to landmark targets, including key infrastructural elements (such as Government and major commercial buildings), elements of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and crowded or generally busy locations like major transport hubs (primarily ports, airports and railway stations), sports stadiums and shopping centres.
The consequences of a determined physical attack are far from easy to bear – mass casualties (as was the case with 9/11) and untold damage to property and commerce not only attracts the attention of the international media but also undermines public confidence in national security. As such, among a number of measures the National Security Strategy emphasises the overriding need to protect buildings and the people who use them.
Managers, planners, architects
How can we achieve that goal? In essence, security professionals need to enhance the resistance of existing buildings by working closely with planners and architects to ‘design-in’ designated safe areas, or make sure that blast-resistant materials are used on new build projects. On top of that, particular attention is now being placed on the need to provide the very highest levels of protection that blend empathetically with the immediate architectural environment. There’s a desire for security to be inoffensive and non-intrusive and, at the same time, as strong as possible. Not an easy balance to strike.
The concept is one of keeping people safe without creating ‘fortresses’ that ruin the local landscape. Protective security measures ranging from barriers around the perimeter of a site through to security features built-in to the facade of a given building can all reduce the threats posed by Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) attack (a method of ‘incursion’ increasingly favoured by terrorists).
Enhancing the protection of our CNI, prime commercial buildings and other vital locations is crucial. Until now, the most stringent security measures have mainly found their home at Government sites, but awareness of the threats at hand is growing among the private sector – a sector that now harbours a far greater understanding of its own responsibility to protect the public. For their part, local authorities also have an added responsibility to assess the steps taken to prevent or otherwise mitigate terrorist attacks.
With broader security measures very much the order of the day, not only is there a demand for aesthetic solutions and protective security in building facades, but there’s also a requirement to adopt a ‘security by design’-style approach.
The aesthetics of protection
While security measures must be ‘fit for purpose’ in terms of their blast and impact capabilities, the need for such measures to be versatile, straightforward and easy to install and ‘blend in’ with their immediate surroundings is top of the agenda. As stated, none of us wants to live in Fortress Britain. With this in mind, a pragmatic and sensible solution is demanded.
Depending on the perceived threat and profile of the potential target, it may be the case that the ‘light touch’ of security will be sufficient. For example, minimal security would be more appropriate for a low profile building outside the city centre boundaries whereas an iconic structure requires far higher levels of protection.
In the first instance, effective perimeter and stand-off protection are key to minimising the VBIED-based threat (and mitigating the effects of explosive blast). Therefore, the requirement is for the installation of an appropriate anti-attack vehicle protection solution. This may comprise permanent bollards or walls, or even redeployable barriers.
Security managers should be aware that solutions chosen must meet the performance standards laid down by PAS 68:2007 (the accepted UK classification system for vehicle security barriers and supporting foundations when subjected to horizontal impact).
Redeployable systems are designed to meet the requirements for rapid, temporary barrier installation, effective vehicle stopping and the protection of people and assets. The essence here is swift deployment with minimum disruption (typically on a short or medium term basis). The Palace of Westminster, New Scotland Yard (see box panel) and Stansted Airport are several locations where such defence mechanisms have been used.
Security in the facade
It’s often the case that high profile or otherwise sensitive structures will need protection from explosive attack. This may necessitate the construction of higher integrity walls, particularly in the basement and enclosing the lower floors. Specialist, sensitive areas could require a different form of protection. These areas might include Command and Control Rooms, communication facilities, exit, entry and evacuation points, all of which require higher construction specifications. Critical building services – power and water – also need special protection.
Structural security features built-in to the facade are typically required whenever street furniture – bollards, planters and security walls – cannot be employed for perimeter protection as the stand-off distance isn’t available outside and around the premises to be protected. This is often found to be the case in ‘tight’ city centre locations. A range of measures might be employed to achieve this objective, from reducing the amount of glazing or including high performance toughened glass through to the integration of blast-resistant materials with the structural fabric.
The concept of ‘security by design’ should be at the heart of all those countermeasures described. Prevention is always better than cure, and the inclusion of appropriate blast protection security at the conceptual design stage will ensure adequate safeguards for the structure and those who use it.
Several steps can be taken here. Conducting comprehensive security risk assessments, intelligence gathering and planning and disguising the vulnerable areas of a building are all measures that help to reduce the potential for attack. The latest countermeasures include a far greater consideration of building orientation and layout, in addition to security-focused landscaping treatments.
Indeed, security, design and construction professionals have a responsibility to ensure they understand how such factors can influence the level of protection provided, and to fully consider appropriate security measures at the initial design stage for new structures.
Widening the inner circle
We’ve reached the stage where the industry cannot continue to keep secrets about what it does. If we’re to ensure adequate protection regimes for our buildings and people, the challenge facing professionals in the UK is to disseminate existing knowledge about blast protection techniques from an inner circle of experts to a far wider audience.
Publication of the National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom represents a major milestone in our efforts to combat the terrorist threat and mitigate – as much as is humanly possible – the effects of any bomb attack.
Now, everyone – that is to say practising security professionals, construction specialists and architects – must pull together to ensure that appropriate security measures are put in place. Measures that will meet the constantly evolving security challenges we face.
