Simon Towers, chairman of the PSSA, discusses the evolution of the security industry in light of a changing terror threat.
The global threat of terrorism is one which has undergone several evolutions – from mass terrorism using hijacked transport, as witnessed in the Twin Towers attack of 9/11 in the US, to the threat of improvised explosive devices (IED) and hostile vehicles. As a result, the security industry as an entity is one sector which is under pressure to respond, even pre-emptively.
The Perimeter Security Suppliers Association (PSSA) aims to promote the interests of those professional suppliers involved in the design, supply and installation of products and services that provide an optimum level of protection. Pan European Networks spoke to the chairman of the PSSA Management Council, Simon Towers, about the evolution of the security industry regarding these ever-changing terror threats.
In what ways has an intensification of terror attacks, as well as threats, changed the work of the PSSA and the industry as a whole?
Over the last 18 months the terror threat has been much more about vehicles being used as a weapon, rather than the vehicle being used to deliver a bomb or people intent on harm. Effectively, there has been a number of cases wherein the vehicle has been the weapon – for instance, in the attack on Berlin’s Christmas Market in 2016 – and that has brought more potential targets to the fore. Prior to that, defences were more about critical infrastructure. Now, virtually any crowded place is a target, and what that’s done for PSSA members, and the industry as a whole, is increased the focus on temporary solutions because a lot of these locations are one-off events. As a result, they don’t want permanently installed products, instead they want to make an event safe for three or four days – that’s increased the demand for temporary solutions to stop vehicles, as well as a demand for education for site owners and managers in that sector.
It’s a possibility that, previously, the threat of a terror attack wasn’t so high on such organisers’ agendas, though it’s not trickled down into people’s day-to-day lives.
We’ve had enquiries from all sorts of sports stadia in recent times, and although they are organised in terms of who they let in and who is refused, the queues of people outside the stadium, unless protected in some way from vehicles, are a potential target for hostile vehicle attacks. Our role as the PSSA is to educate and bring information to those who need it to defend against such threats. The industry as a whole, including our members, are working on solutions for temporary event locations.
How do suppliers need to adapt in order to protect against a terror threat which continuously evolves? What kind of innovation is required?
Primarily, how they need to adapt is to be aware of the trends. As mentioned, there’s a current need for more products which are individually tested and that stop vehicles at events. Permanent solutions tend to have foundations, and that means having to dig into the ground and implementing concrete foundations – local authorities don’t want to do that on highways and streets if it’s only for four days a year, and ultimately, money still comes into it. Though this is the current trend, who knows what it will be in two years’ time.
By keeping close contact with the relevant government expert departments, our members can be aware of the trends. In this, these departments do host invitation-only briefing days for the industry in order to update the industry in what they’re witnessing, what threats are expected, and what they would like to see in terms of next-step product development. Ordinarily, they use trade associations like the PSSA to sustain contact with individual manufacturers, as the government is limited in terms of time and other resources. Therefore, the PSSA, and other trade associations, are used as a filter to get the word out. Crucially, manufacturers need to be aware of trends, and off the back of that, use that information to feed into new product development plans, or to inform existing product enhancement plans.
The UK government recently announced that an extra £24m (~€27m) will be provided, in addition to £707m already committed, in order to protect against hostile attacks in crowded places. Is further economic support needed to reinforce the development of products and services which aim to counter terrorism?
People like to criticise governments and say that we need to spend more, and engage with more, and so on. In fairness, the UK government has supported the hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) industry pretty well, and I can’t say that a lack of government funding is holding back product development, testing, or innovation, because I don’t believe it is. They provide support in various forms, both technical input and funding at times, to support testing. If the government sees something it believes in, it will pay the independent testing fees. I really don’t believe that they’re holding the industry back in that respect.
The only thing I would say, and would always say, is the extent to which these products are used out there in the marketplace, and deployed, is limited purely by money. Theoretically, every street in every city centre should have HVM products on it because every pavement is a target. However, the reality is that can’t be implemented from a pure cost point of view – investing in installation of more end-products is something that you can always ask for more of. Realistically, I think that there’s a good balance at the moment and that the government is doing everything it can.
How does the PSSA envision that both the association, and its members, need to revise their priorities in an effort to minimise future terror attacks?
I don’t think that they necessarily need to revise their priorities, but what they do need to do is stay on the ball and, as an association and as members of the association in the industry, we all need to continue to stay close to the trends and stay close to the government advice and initiatives. If that is done throughout the industry, then the information feeds through to members who can develop a market product accordingly, and it’s a model that works quite well.
UK manufacturers of HVM products are recognised around the world as genuine world leaders, and not just for defence in the UK. Sadly, we’ve got a longer history of facing terrorism, which means that we’ve got a long history of coming up with ways of preventing it. At least in this market, the UK can genuinely claim to be a world leader, and a lot of our products are sold in other parts of the world – for example, in the Middle East and Asia.
So, do we need to revise our priorities? I hope it doesn’t sound blasé to say, but what we need to do is to stay on the ball and stay close to what’s happening, because that’s what enables you to develop and invest in the right products for the next stage, as opposed to a revision of priorities. Effectively, members need to stay in touch with security services.
Does the PSSA have any future plans or projects for the upcoming year?
As an association, we’re currently working on developing information sources to help the less experienced sectors. We’ll be launching a new website in May 2018, the HVM Hub, alongside the Home Office. The hub will contain comprehensive information about hostile vehicle mitigation, although the information contained on that site will be information which is already in the public domain – what it will do is pull it together into one resource. There’s a balance to be had, but it provides users with the links and where to go for more detailed conversations. From there they can decide if they are talking to the right person or not. Moreover, PSSA-trained personnel will be able to give presentations to a range of specialists, from local authorities and government departments to architects. The source will bring people up to speed on what is available in the HVM marketplace, but also help them assess what is needed in the first instance.
We’re hosting various educational continuing professional development (CPD) courses, and we’ll also be putting on an industry day to help inform organisations which haven’t previously had it positioned at the top of their agendas.
Simon Towers
Chairman
Perimeter Security Supplies Association (PSSA)
https://www.pssasecurity.org/
This article will appear in Pan European Networks: Government 24, which will be published in January, 2018.
