Protecting Australia's Crowded Places

By Peter Whitehead

In 2017, the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) released Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism.

The
document sets out measures to be considered and implemented to ensure owners
and operators of ‘crowded places’ are aware of their obligations to protect visitors
and staff.

The objective
of this strategy is simple - “To protect
the lives of people working in, using, and visiting crowded places by making
these places more resilient”.

This
article provides a brief synopsis of the publication, and what it means to owners
and operators of crowded places (including local government).

What defines a ‘Crowded Place’?

Crowded places are locations which are easily accessible by large numbers of people on a predictable basis. A crowded place will not always be necessarily crowded, crowd densities may vary between day and night, by season, and may be temporary, as in the case of sporting events, festivals, or one-off events. Typical examples of crowded places include stadiums, shopping centres, transport hubs, community events, places of worship and markets.

Why are they a potential target?

Crowded
places continue to be attractive targets for terrorists. The current National
Terrorism Threat Level in Australia remains at PROBABLE,
and has done for a number of years.

This indicates
that individuals and groups continue to possess the intent and capability to
conduct a terrorist attack in Australia. This elevated terror threat is likely
to persist for the foreseeable future and it is not confined to any one city or
metropolitan area.

Recent attacks
on crowded places overseas, demonstrate how basic weapons, including vehicles,
knives and firearms, can be used by terrorists to a devastating effect.

Extremists
have carried out similar attacks here in crowded places, and we expect more will
occur. The two ‘vehicle as a weapon’ attacks on Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall are
cases in point (one was also combined with a bladed weapon attack), as is the
Sydney Lindt Café Siege in 2014.

Furthermore,
in July 2017, Police and Intelligence Officials disrupted a plot to conduct a
terrorist attack using an improvised explosive device against the aviation
sector and a plot to develop an improvised chemical dispersion device for use
in a terrorist attack on Australian soil.

In reality,
it will not always be possible to prevent all terrorist attacks from occurring
so we need to strengthen our national arrangements in order to help owners and
operators better protect crowded places from terrorism.

What does this mean for local government in Australia?

The release of Australia’s
Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism places an onus on
local government, as owners and operators of crowded places to review safety,
security and emergency management arrangements for the sites under their
ownership.

Owners and operators of crowded places have a primary
responsibility for protecting their sites, including a duty of care to take
steps to protect people that work, use or visit their site from a range of
foreseeable threats, including the threat of terrorist attack.

Local governments are often responsible for managing civic
spaces, public activities, celebrations, agricultural shows and community days.
This means they have the same roles and responsibilities as other owners and
operators of crowded places, including a duty of care to develop, implement and
regularly test protective security measures.

Developing, implementing and regularly testing a
comprehensive security plan is a matter of good business and a corporate
responsibility. The plan needs to prioritise saving lives and minimising harm
while aiming to protect physical assets, information, reputation and other
elements that could affect business continuity.

Local governments also play an important role in designing
and approving public spaces, this gives them a unique opportunity to consider
and creatively apply protective security during the early stages of crowded
place design. Doing so helps to reduce cost and minimise the disruptive effect
of protective security on the public’s enjoyment of public spaces.

Given the above context and the increasing concerns
regarding threats posed by recent terrorist attacks across the world, it is
imperative that owners and operators of crowded places carry out security
audits / risk assessments and, where necessary, seek specialist security consultancy
services.

A Risk Based Approach

It is important that security measures are proportionate to
the level and type of threat, which is why we need to first understand the
threats and vulnerabilities present and provide mitigation measures to address
them. Following an internationally recognised standard for security and risk
management, such as ISO-31000 will provide a solid baseline for assessing,
ranking and addressing potential threats. Oftentimes, simply being aware of risks
means that they can be managed without additional measures or cost. The key is
providing a balanced approach to the level of threat in a particular location.

Cundall specialises in providing security risk assessments and specialist security consultancy services for our client base globally. We are creating safer, more secure and resilient environments for our communities to enjoy. If you are a local government, owner or operator of a crowded place, we would like to help you assess and mitigate your risks.

If you would like to find out more, please click here for my details..

Reference: Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism

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