Event Security Greater Manchester
April 10, 2020Over the past few years, large scale events and crowded places have found themselves the target of terror attacks, including the attack at the Stade de France and in the Bataclan Theatre in Paris in 2015, the attack during Bastille Day in Nice in July 2106, the attack at the Berlin Christmas markets last November and most recently the attack at Manchester Arena. Such events can be attractive to terrorists, particularly as they result in large crowds of people being gathered within the same public space, often with more congested crowds upon exit. With this in mind, it is essential that event organisers are assessing these safety concerns and implementing measures to mitigate these potential risks.
Howard Trott of Spartan 24 Hour Security, explains: “Event security, particularly sporting events, has improved to best practice, legislation, industry standards, reputational risk and so on. Venues, whether concert halls, festivals, stadiums or arenas, are often naturally-secure sites, with physical architecture – whether that is permanent or temporary – increasing the target’s security profile. The addition of security stewards to conduct access control and search regimes, as well as technical security measures, creates a relatively robust security environment when compared to immediately outside the venue. This creates somewhat of a paradox; the time and effort to pass through venue security to the safer internal environment means that people are potentially exposed to greater risk while waiting to enter or when exiting in a crowd.
“Exiting en masse is arguably the most concerning factor and event organisers, through the use of staggered egress or incentives such as post-event entertainment, ‘meet and greet’ or some other strategies, may have to, purely for security purposes, keep attendees in the venue for longer while egress is managed more safely. That said, is that feasible? It may well be difficult to get public buy-in for a staggered or delayed exit from a venue, possible cost implications, potential health and safety concerns to having people remain in the venue post-event. These and other factors need careful consideration.”
Posted by Spartan Event Security. Posted In : Event, Venue Security Greater Manchester
